What I Learned
The canton of Thurgau, in north central Switzerland, is a wine producing canton. For wine purposes, this canton has several different districts: The Upper Thur Valley, the Lower Thur Valley, Rhine, Lauchetal, Seebachtal, and Untersee. Its northern most section, the Untersee faces onto Lake Constance and the High Rhine. Much of the rest of the canton wine production lies in the valley of the Thur River, a tributary to the Rhine, from which the canton gets its name.
What I Learned
The Rheingau, in the German state of Hesse, has one of the smallest total vineyard areas in all of Germany. But nonetheless, it has a huge importance in the world of wines. It is not only one of the most famous wine areas in Germany, it is also strung along one of the most famous stretches of river in the world!
Rheingau wine aficionados can point with pride to a long and continuous tradition of wine-making in this area: from having one of the oldest wine estates in Germany, Schloss Vollrads, to a monastery founded by the medieval St Hildegard, where the nuns still grow grapes.
What I Learned
According to many experts, Riesling wine reaches its pinnacle in the Rheingau. Here, the vintners have been making this wine, almost exclusively this wine, for hundreds of years. Locals as well as buyers from around the world eagerly await the resulting products each year. And from the modest-sized family wineries to the large international concerns, each winery will offer a range of Riesling wines, in styles ranging from dry to off-dry to sweet.
The most basic Riesling will be a Qualitaetswein. Next up the quality scale is a Kabinett Riesling.
What I Learned
The Bodensee wine district lies in a true garden spot for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where fruit trees, truck gardens, and vineyards are tucked among small villages and ancient religious foundations.
It is located on Lake Constance. It is known in the German-speaking world as the Bodensee, and fondly referred to as the “German Sea” because it is shared between Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The lake itself has three distinct parts: the Obersee , the Untersee, and the Seerhein. There are vineyards along much of all of it.
What I Learned
Collio and Friuli Colli Orientali are considered the best among ten zones in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, due to hills, for good drainage and optimal sun, and proximity to cold Alpine air (for good ventilation), tempered by Adriatic influences. (From Cormons, you can sometimes see the Adriatic.) Here, the soils are limestone overlaid with marl and sandstone. Some of the best growing areas in Friuli Colli Orientali are around Corno di Rosazzo.
What I Learned
Lying about 100 miles south of the geographic center of Germany, Churfranken vines grow in red sandstone and loess soils and subsoils. This small area of Franconia’s wine region is in the Mainviereck wine district. The Main River flows through the Churfranken, which generally enjoys a mild enough climate with sufficient sun exposure for ripening grapes.
This area is especially known for its red wines. In fact, the Churfranken Pinot Noirs are consistently judged the best red wines of the entire Franconian region. So, while local vintners grow the ubiquitous Franconian white grape varietals of Silvaner and Bacchus, as well as Riesling, the reds carry the day here. Blauer Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir), and Blauer Portugieser are two well-known red varietals locally. Another red varietal is the Schwarzriesling. Also known as the Muellerrebe, it is not completely uncommon in this part of Germany, although you will be hard pressed to find it outside the Franken and Wuerttemberg wine regions.
What I Learned
Germany’s Franconian vineyards are found in three wine districts: the Steigerwald, the Maindreieck, and the Mainviereck. The western-most sub-district of the Mainviereck is the Churfranken. This is where the Main River makes a sharp curve north, shortly before it leaves Franconia and enters the lands of Hesse.
What I Learned
Northern Alsace has a great viticultural and vinicultural tradition. Six main white varietals grow throughout Alsace: Riesling, Silvaner, Gewuerztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and the only red varietal: Pinot Noir.
While the reds might be less common, and lighter-bodied than Pinot Noir wines from other French appellations, the whites are often full-bodied expressions of the grape and terroir. Alsatian wine is quite good, and demand for it is rising.
What I Learned:
The Franconia wine region (Franken, in German) has several wine districts, and the Maindreieck district is perhaps the best known. Set along the Main river, it has some of the region’s most famous vineyard sites, dramatic scenery, and a thriving wine trade since the early Middle Ages.
Dreieck in German means triangle. The Maindreieck is a triangle of land surrounded on three sides by the Main River, a major tributary to the Rhine River. The river makes three dramatic curves close to the heart of Franconia, forming this triangular “peninsula”, hence the name of this viticultural area in south central Germany. The most important and undoubtedly best-known town for wine culture in this area is Wuerzburg, which in addition to some of the most well-known vineyards in Franconia, has the extremely popular wine bar on the old bridge.
What I Learned
In 2007, the German wine region of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, became known simply as the Mosel. But I want to highlight the unique wines of the Saar, a distinct territorial entity as indicated in the old designation. The Saar River is the Moselle River’s longest tributary. Lined by steep slopes, the Saar terroir is composed chiefly of blue Devonian slate. Since the Saar vineyards on the whole are higher in elevation than the Mosel vineyards, this slate component to the soil is particularly important as it captures and retains the heat of the sunshine, thus helping to ensure the grapes survive to reach maximum ripeness, sometimes as late as early November!
