It is autumn in Germany, the wine has begun harvest and the new wine Queen is elected. To fight the problems that winemakers had, and as of the Year 2019 is true, explains wine expert Romana Echensperger.
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11 fascinating facts about wine
The steepest vineyard in Europe
On the Moselle to the small wine village is Bremm. Here is the mount Calmont, with a height of 300 meters and a slope of up to 60 degrees is nothing for people with fear of heights rises. In fact, the Calmont, the steepest vineyard in Europe.
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11 fascinating facts about wine
The largest wine festival in the world
On the Dürkheimer sausage market you are not squeamish with the portions. This is the Oktoberfest for wine drinkers in the Palatinate town of Bad Dürkheim, it is not the usual glasses, but also gives a direct correctly. We would like to have a conversation with the Chancellor, after such a glass of time… in addition to many celebs nearly 700,000 visitors come here every year in September.
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11 fascinating facts about wine
This Queen must be drinking
Each wine-growing area, something keeps on selects for a year was the highest representative of the wine Queen. She is of full age and an average of 25 years old. Until 1999, a wine Queen was not allowed to be married. The same is not true now. But: The candidate must demonstrate a “clear and strong ties with German wines”.
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11 fascinating facts about wine
Why not a wine-king?
As the Mosel village of Kesten took place in the summer of 2016, no wine Queen, jumped in the law student Sven Finke-Bender as the Roman wine God Bacchus. After two years he gave up the baton again to a woman. Two great years had it been, as the Student, but after 200 dates, it was enough. His conclusion was: “I can’t do better than women, but just as good.”
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11 fascinating facts about wine
The finest drops
Baron de Rothschild has commissioned between 1945 and 2006, each year a different artist to design the labels of its wines. Names such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Warhol and Chagall, have helped to ensure that the bottles have a high collector’s value. So this 1945er Mouton has been auctioned Rothschild in 2006 for 28.750 million US dollars (approximately EUR 23,000).
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11 fascinating facts about wine
What makes ice wine so special
Risk and challenge for every winemaker: The grapes remain on the vine until you get to the first Frost. In the freezing winter nights, they are harvested in a frozen state in the press promoted. The wine is thick, sweet and aromatic, with a fine acid. German ice wines, a world-renowned delicacy and are often served for Dessert.
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11 fascinating facts about wine
In the North it gets too cold
In Germany, the 52 is. Latitude as the Arctic circle of the German wine-growing. There about the place Werder is located in Brandenburg, considered to be officially the most northerly wine-growing region in the world. But it goes even further North: In Finland, for example, using a nuclear power plant: The warm water of the cooling system is directed through plastic tubes and keeps the ground under the vines frost.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
White wine or red wine?
White wine, of course! Or? Maybe it is a red wine! If it is so, then it is called “Blanc de Noir” and is nothing more than a white pressed red grape. The shell is removed from red grapes, are the juice and pulp light. The wine is low in acidity and easy to digest. The model of the French champagne is often made from red Pinot Noir grapes.
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11 fascinating facts about wine
The young wine
If the barrels roll by Lyon, November: From the third Thursday of the month of the Beaujolais Nouveau is allowed to be uncorked, and sold to be drank. The wine of the same name, growing area, close to Lyon, was the first who was allowed to be in the year of his harvest is sold. Stuck-up experts-compacted him for low quality, its global popularity could be the harm but nothing.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
Baden: highest wine-growing region of Germany
“The German wine – pampered by the sun” is an old advertising slogan. The southwest is the sunniest region of Germany. Here famous wines such as Riesling or Pinot Noir to thrive. With 560 metres of the Hohentwieler Olga Berg is the highest growing area. However, it is still much higher. At the winery Colomé in Argentina’s Salta the wine growing vine in 3111 meters in height.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
Why German wine-American roots
Around 1850, the American phylloxera arrived in Europe and began a work of destruction. It spread in all the wine areas and destroyed over decades, the harvest. There was only one solution: to cross The sensitive European wine with the lice resistant plants from America by grafted seedlings, to roots. Et voilà! The European wine was saved. Until today.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
The steepest vineyard in Europe
On the Moselle to the small wine village is Bremm. Here is the mount Calmont, with a height of 300 meters and a slope of up to 60 degrees is nothing for people with fear of heights rises. In fact, the Calmont, the steepest vineyard in Europe.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
The largest wine festival in the world
On the Dürkheimer sausage market you are not squeamish with the portions. This is the Oktoberfest for wine drinkers in the Palatinate town of Bad Dürkheim, it is not the usual glasses, but also gives a direct correctly. We would like to have a conversation with the Chancellor, after such a glass of time… in addition to many celebs nearly 700,000 visitors come here every year in September.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
This Queen must be drinking
Each wine-growing area, something keeps on selects for a year was the highest representative of the wine Queen. She is of full age and an average of 25 years old. Until 1999, a wine Queen was not allowed to be married. The same is not true now. But: The candidate must demonstrate a “clear and strong ties with German wines”.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
Why not a wine-king?
As the Mosel village of Kesten took place in the summer of 2016, no wine Queen, jumped in the law student Sven Finke-Bender as the Roman wine God Bacchus. After two years he gave up the baton again to a woman. Two great years had it been, as the Student, but after 200 dates, it was enough. His conclusion was: “I can’t do better than women, but just as good.”
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
The finest drops
Baron de Rothschild has commissioned between 1945 and 2006, each year a different artist to design the labels of its wines. Names such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Warhol and Chagall, have helped to ensure that the bottles have a high collector’s value. So this 1945er Mouton has been auctioned Rothschild in 2006 for 28.750 million US dollars (approximately EUR 23,000).
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
What makes ice wine so special
Risk and challenge for every winemaker: The grapes remain on the vine until you get to the first Frost. In the freezing winter nights, they are harvested in a frozen state in the press promoted. The wine is thick, sweet and aromatic, with a fine acid. German ice wines, a world-renowned delicacy and are often served for Dessert.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
In the North it gets too cold
In Germany, the 52 is. Latitude as the Arctic circle of the German wine-growing. There about the place Werder is located in Brandenburg, considered to be officially the most northerly wine-growing region in the world. But it goes even further North: In Finland, for example, using a nuclear power plant: The warm water of the cooling system is directed through plastic tubes and keeps the ground under the vines frost.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
White wine or red wine?
White wine, of course! Or? Maybe it is a red wine! If it is so, then it is called “Blanc de Noir” and is nothing more than a white pressed red grape. The shell is removed from red grapes, are the juice and pulp light. The wine is low in acidity and easy to digest. The model of the French champagne is often made from red Pinot Noir grapes.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
The young wine
If the barrels roll by Lyon, November: From the third Thursday of the month of the Beaujolais Nouveau is allowed to be uncorked, and sold to be drank. The wine of the same name, growing area, close to Lyon, was the first who was allowed to be in the year of his harvest is sold. Stuck-up experts-compacted him for low quality, its global popularity could be the harm but nothing.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
Baden: highest wine-growing region of Germany
“The German wine – pampered by the sun” is an old advertising slogan. The southwest is the sunniest region of Germany. Here famous wines such as Riesling or Pinot Noir to thrive. With 560 metres of the Hohentwieler Olga Berg is the highest growing area. However, it is still much higher. At the winery Colomé in Argentina’s Salta the wine growing vine in 3111 meters in height.
-
11 fascinating facts about wine
Why German wine-American roots
Around 1850, the American phylloxera arrived in Europe and began a work of destruction. It spread in all the wine areas and destroyed over decades, the harvest. There was only one solution: to cross The sensitive European wine with the lice resistant plants from America by grafted seedlings, to roots. Et voilà! The European wine was saved. Until today.
DW: Anywhere in Germany, this day begins the harvest of the grapes. The winemakers are expecting a good year?
Romana Echensperger: It will be a very good year! However, there were some challenges for the winemakers, especially the heat wave — there’s a lot of output on the sun is gone fire is lost. The Ripening has slowed down somewhat compared to 2018, it is relatively normal. So you can look at a very promising Vintage. Last year the yield was great, this year he will be a little lower but it remains in the frame.
What are the Trends for 2019 in the case of Germany, winemakers, what have you got Exciting in the program?
In the us as the German winemaker’s sparkling wine. The qualities are extremely good. To the consumer, it used to be called often “the main thing is, it gushes” but in the meantime, consumers recognize that there are great qualities in the sparkling wine area. In the case of the vintners, much was incredible, you learn how to make great sparkling wine, because it takes a lot of know-how about the intricacies.
Chardonnay is also a Trend, as we are currently at about 2000 hectares, in the 1990s, perhaps the 200 acres were. This wine is a new style back, not as lush, but with a melt and a Bit of wooden barrel to use it are incredibly great, balanced wines. Generally speaking, white wine is in the Trend. 20 years ago, red wine was up and Coming, today it is back to drink more white wine than red wine in Germany.
After the embers of the summer of 2018, it was this year again a hot and very dry. What effect does this have on the plants, and thus to the wine?
German wines are the number 1 in Norway, says wine expert Romana Echensperger
The wine itself is just challenging, you have to say clearly. One has to contend with weather extremes. In 2017, it has rained an awful lot of time, then re-heat and dryness. In 2017, the winemakers have to strip the grape zone, so that air comes to the grapes and the moisture dries, and no fungal diseases to emerge. 2019 is what has been done and has lost, in some regions, 30% of the grapes to sunburn. The measure, which was 2107 in the right place was wrong, 2019 total. The winemaker must watch carefully, wisely and quickly to intervene. At the end of a good Portion of luck is part of it but always.
Every sensible vintner way is in the meantime glyphosate, also due to climate change, because in the case of long dry periods, it is important that the soil is vital, with a lot of Humus, the water stores.
Winemakers will have to rethink about the grape varieties you are planting, you need to other varieties?
There is a very large discussion. You can intercept by wine constructional measures very much. Riesling grows well in warmer regions. With regard to the grape varieties, there will be no changes.
Wine harvest in Baden-Württemberg
There are, however, problems that climate change brings, you will have to find new responses to them: I was in the middle of the Palatinate, as there are big problems with ESCA, a type of bacterium that affects the plant. The vine dies off within a few months. There are large losses due to ESCA, but if you know the causes yet. Previously, you knew ESCA only in southern Europe, for example in Bordeaux and Sicily. Due to the climate warming, the Problem appears to be full when we arrived. It is a huge loss and there is still no counter-measures.
Keyword: environmental protection, ecological farming: How important is the issue of resistant grape varieties?
You think about the benefits of fungus-resistant grape varieties, this is a great idea — and then you can taste the wine and don’t think that’s such a good idea. I find it just doesn’t taste. These varieties be grown only relatively behavior.
There are new markets for the good German drops, there is an increasing interest abroad?
In China and the United States has done a good build-up work. Scandinavia is at the forefront: in Norway, Germany is the number 1, the biggest supplier for wine.
Romana Echensperger bears the title Master of Wine. The wine expert was a Chef Sommeliere in various top restaurants, and since 2011 as a consultant and trainer for customers In and abroad.
As a wine journalist Echensperger writes regularly for German and Dutch magazines, for the German wine Institute, she designed Workshops about the many facets of German wine. 2017 your book “because appeared to be easy and lovely. The ultimate wine book (only) for women.”
The interview was conducted by Dagmar Breitenbach.