Germany's largest wine region - Rheinhessen:
There are far more types of wine produced than in other regions of Germany, and the wine from this region accounts for 50% of all German wine exports. The village of Pfeddersheim in the region has been planting Riesling grapes since 1511. The predominant soil types in the Rheinhessen region are loess, limestone and loam, usually mixed with sand and gravel. This soil, combined with the regulating action of the Rhine, provides enough heat to the vines at night. With only 500mm of annual rainfall, Rheinhessen is one of the driest wine regions in Germany. Overall, the best wines come from the vineyards closest to the Rhine. The general characteristics of wines produced in Rheinhessen are soft taste, rich aroma, medium body, moderate acidity, and easy entry.
Rheinhessen's most famous export wine is Liebfraumilch, which is produced in almost 99% of the 167 villages. The name of Liebfraumilch comes from a church of Our Lady in Worms, and it is also the name of a famous winery. Later, it was used to refer to the semi-sweet wines produced in various regions of Germany. Liebfraumlich belongs to the QbA level, which is characterized by low alcohol content, simple and sweet taste, and extremely cheap.
German wine classification system:
The German wine grading system has detailed regulations on the origin and sugar content of the wine, and wine merchants will also use the relevant German symbols to identify their wine grades on the wine label. In general, German wines can be divided from low to high: daily table wine (D.Wein), regional table wine (Landwein), premium wine (Qualitatswein) and premium premium wine (Pradikatswein).
Premium Wine (Qualitatswein):
High-grade wines require that the wine grapes must come from 13 excellent producing areas in Germany. Generally speaking, the flavor is lighter than that of higher-grade wines, so sugar is allowed, and its sweetness is distinguished by the following German symbols.
1. Dry type (Trocken/Selection)
2. Semi-dry/slightly sweet (Halbtrocken/Classic)
3. Semi-dry (Feinherb)
4. Liebliche
5. Sweet (Sub or Suss)
Premium Wine (Pradikatswein):
Wines at this level are further subdivided into wine grades according to the degree of ripeness of the grapes. The higher the sugar content of the grapes, the sweeter the wine and the higher the alcohol concentration.
The ice wine (Eiswein) that we often hear about is also produced in Germany and is classified in this category.
1. Reserve wine (Kabinett): the lightest wine, there are dry and semi-dry types.
2. Late-harvest wine (Spatlese): Although the word "Trocken" (dry) will also be seen on the bottle of late-harvest wine, it is usually sweeter than Kabinett and has a fuller body. , with citrus, pineapple and other fruit flavors.
3. Selected wines (Auslese): Harvested by hand and infected with noble rot to some extent, selected wines also have dry types, but the overall sweetness is higher than that of late harvests, and the wine is more bodied Thick.
4. Grain-by-grain selection wine (Beerenauslese or BA): The yield of Riesling made from grain-by-grain selected grapes is not high, because these grapes must be infected by noble rot, and most of them are usually half-bottled on the market. Its very precious.
5. Grain by Grain Selected Raisin Wine (Trockenbeerenauslese or TBA): This is the lowest-yielding wine, and typically has around 30% more sugar than Grain by Grain Selected wines.
6. Ice wine (Eiswein): After the winter night grapes freeze on the tree, they can be used to make ice wine by picking them manually and pressing them in time.
