What I Learned

Within the German wine region of Baden lies the Kaiserstuhl wine district. With almost 4300 hectares (over 10,500 acres), it is the largest of all nine wine districts in Baden.

This district is the warmest site in Germany, with the highest average temperatures and the highest average hours of sunshine. In this district, the vines are planted mostly in terraces, mostly on south facing slopes of the Kaiserstuhl slopes.

The whole area looks and feels volcanic, as it was once one giant volcano. The volcano was active 16 to 19 million years ago, and since then, the terrain has eroded. Hence the underlying geology is volcanic. A layer of loess lies on top of what remains of the eruptions’ geological debris. The vines grow atop this geology in a series of terraces. The cuts in the terraces reveal the meters of depths (achieved over time) of this light-colored sediment. Two of Burkheim’s best known growth areas are Schlossgarten and Feuerberg (literally, “fire hill”).

The Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Spaetburgunder (Pinot Noir) grapes particularly excel in these conditions. Today, these three varietals constitute almost 50% of the district’s production. Pinot Noir alone constitutes about 36.5 %. Other varietals represented in significant percentages are: Mueller-Thurgau, Silvaner, and Riesling. Surprisingly, Gutedel (Chasselas) is not among the varietals here. Burkheim has its own local wine cooperative in the village which sells these wines.

 

What I Tasted

2017 Grauburgunder, Burkheimer Schlossgarten, VDP Ortswein, Trocken, Weingut Bercher: A dry white wine with medium minus gold color; a floral and mineral nose, with vanilla spice, floral and green fruits flavors; medium plus acidity, with a tart finish

2015 Spaetburgunder, Burkheimer Feuerberg, VDP Ortswein, Trocken, Weingut Bercher: A dry red wine with medium ruby color; vanilla and cherry nose, with caramel, cherry and slight herbal flavors, medium tannins.

2015 Winzer Sekt “Pinot”, Brut, Burkheimer Winzer: A dry sparkling white wine slightly effervescent, with pale gold color; yeast and floral nose, with spice and floral flavors; high minus acidity.