(Ice wine) is one of these interesting sweet specialties that one can find in the northern areas of wine production, depending on weather conditions. Unlike other sweet wines the sweetness is not a reaction of Botrytis but on the harvest conditions. By law the outside temperature during the harvest has to be below minus 7 degrees C, the colder the better. The frozen grapes are gently pressed and the ice stays with the marc ( skins) and only the highly concentrated juice will undergo fermentation. This high concentration of sugar is a real challenge for the yeasts. You often get only alcohol contents of 7 to 8 % with high remaining residual sugar, often more than 200g/litre which makes Coca Cola look like a diet drink in comparison. Important is the high acidity as that gives this wine unlimited storage time so often Riesling or Scheurebe are the preferred vines used for Eiswein.

Sounds a bit brutal and reminds of the last visit at the Dentist. But here it describes the separation of phenols and tannins from the grape skins into the wine during fermentation. During the fermentation the skins stay in the wine until the maker finds that enough colour and tannins are extracted and he separates the skins from the fermenting wine. This may takes weeks but is the natural way. As the grape skins swim on top of the fermenter he just lets the wine flow from the bottom of the tank into either another steel tank or wooden barrel for further processing. In the production of industrial wine this process is shortend by heating the must up to 85degrees and add lots of enzymes that do the job much quicker. But you will taste that short cut later.

In wine speech earthy is one of the most used terms to describe the sensorial characteristic of strong red wines. It associates flavours of Artichokes, Mushrooms, Truffles ,Potatoes, beetroot or newly plowed fields. Fantasy has no limits.

Is used as a fining agent, basically the same way as bentonite.

What you might first associate with an unpleasant visit to the dentist describes in the world of wine the process during fermentation when colour and flavours are transferred from the grape skin into the wine/ juice. This can last sometimes for month. In the production of industrial wine time is money and so enzymes are added and the wine is heated up to 85degrees C to speed up the process. Unfortunately you will taste that in the finished product. This is why we add the information of fermenting temperature in many of our wine descriptions.

Extract means in wine the non vaporising ingredients in wine like Minerals, wine-, apple- and lactic acids colour and tannins. But careful sometimes wines with high extract levels that suggest increased richness fool you as the sensation derives from sugars that have been left unfermented. Therefore the amount of the sugar free extracts should be the yardstick. But how should we know?

What sound really exotic is a very reasonable thing. The name doesn’t only stand for a well known Jewish King in the 10th century but also for the family friendly bottle of 5 litres wine. For decades this environmentally friendly package and waste reducing way of wine consumption has been tested mainly in Bordeaux. Who says that the French are behind in environmental protection?

The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris, was a wine competition organised in Paris on 24 May 1976 by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant and his colleague, Patricia Gallagher, in which French judges carried out two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines (Bordeaux wines from France and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California). 

A Californian wine rated best in each category, which caused surprise and uproar in France as the French regarding themselves as being the foremost producers of the world’s best wines. Spurrier sold only French wine and believed that the California wines would not win.

Afterwards the judges tried to talk down the results but the French domination of the Burgundy and Bordeaux wines were broken. A 30th anniversary re-tasting on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean was organised by Steven Spurrier in 2006. As The Times reported “Despite the French tasters, many of whom had taken part in the original tasting, ‘expecting the downfall’ of the American vineyards, they had to admit that the harmony of the Californian cabernets had beaten them again.

Judges on both continents gave top honours to a 1971 Ridge Monte Bello cabernet. Four Californian reds occupied the next placings before the highest-ranked Bordeaux, a 1970 Château Mouton-Rothschild, came in at sixth.”

Here we don’t mean the protestant counterpart of the Maltese order but a new varietal that is very resistant against fungi and frost which right now becomes more and more important in the Biodynamic wine making. It has a variety of fruit aromas like Grapefruit and Pineapple. Even though it has a strong relation to Riesling the acidity is lower. Right now only a few clones are in use but this grape may have a future

Lowest level of quality-wines (Prädikatsweine) in Germany. The sugar levels have to be around 80 Oechsle that is approx. 160 grams of sugar in the non fermented juice. If totally converted the wine will have 10,6% alcohol.

Another grape that bis ruined by mass production. In student times Kadarka was sweet and gave a lot of bang for the buck. As this stuff came mainly from Bulgaria some thought that this was the socialist revenge for capitalism. But Kadarka is a serious grape variety and nowadays makers in Hungary and Serbia produce excellent full bodied high tannin reds that show nice cherry and plum aromas especially when stored in small barriques.

Only in 1969 Kerner got its approval as a registered grape variety in Germany. It is a cross between Riesling and Trollinger and was in great demand as it doesn’t need much in form of terroir to produce high yields. The wines are characterised by floral and stone fruit aromas, the quality improves a lot if yield reduction has taken place in the vineyard. During the last 10 years Kerner has lost ground to other varietals like Sauvignon Blanc but the dessert wines with pineapple and caramel notes are still in high demand.

Limestone can produce great wines, but it’s not the only choice. Limestone offers beneficial nutrients to grapes that make them grow better and produce sweeter grapes. It’s special because it retains moisture in dry weather, but also offers good drainage in cool weather.

Lipids play an important role in membrane structure, adaptation to stress, or as signalling molecules. They are also essential nutrients whose availability can vary depending on winemaking technology, with major effects on yeast and alcoholic fermentation.

The older readers might remember with horror the 2 litre straw mantled bottles of this cheap red with sight bubbles when spontaneous second fermentation occurred in the bottle wine which was the cornerstone of parties in the 70’s and therefore discarded when income and wine knowledge increased by it consumers. It was replaced by Prosecco but one can still Lambrusco in parts of Emiglia Romagna were it is the base for fruity seccos with berry aromas and sometimes one can even find reds with structured tannins and vibrant acidity.

Well this is a tricky field. On one hand oxygen is kept away from wine as it destroys it on the other hand it enhances the flavours and breaks down the tannins just before we want to drink the wine because Oxygen allows the aromas in wine to become more present, making it easier to identify what exactly you’re smelling. This controlled oxidisation takes place when the wine ages in wooden barrels as some oxygen defunds through the staves into the wine. If, on the other side, the wine is exposed too long to oxygen while its being made or if too much oxygen gets into the bottle because of a faulty closure, the  wine’s flavours and aromas will flatten, and those nutty, Sherry-like notes replace the fresh flavours of the wine had and it becomes undrinkable.

When determining how much sugar is in the grape in Germany measure in Oechsel in the rest of the world in Brix. In the 1820s Oechsle produced the first single copies of the must balance (hydrometer) with a scale in degrees. He realised that if it would be possible to measure the sugar content of the must, it should be possible to better predict the development of the resulting wine. From the 1830s, Oechsle must balances were mass-produced. Later the degree of Oechsle became a quality measure and found entry into the german classification law. To be either a Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese or Beerenauslese the grapes have to have a certain amount of sugar in the pressed juice for Kabinett a minimum of 80 Oechsle. Every year at harvest times a commission is measuring the Oechsle in the vineyards to determine the start of the harvests.

White grapes are fermented with their skins like in red wine production. So all the good stuff that is in the skins stays and is not fed to the pigs. These phenols and tannins give the white wine a yellow orange color and they stabilize the wine so that no or only little Sulphur needs to be added. Now more and more conventual winemakers start to produce orange wine as this color has become a category by itself. They realize that all the color, yeast particles and other turbid substances give the wine character. Filtering them out means for these makers that the best lands on the cellar floor.

But be careful not every orange wine is a bio wine and not every bio wine is an orange wine as orange wine is just a different way of winemaking. So orange wines have their own style which is definitely not polished and but it sharpens your senses as it messes everything um that you learned about wine, maybe that’s why many of the so called “Wine Experts” are so critical towards orange wine. 

The amount of books that have been written about wine and quality can fill libraries.The German wine law defines quality by the amount of sugar the grapes have at harvesting. The lowest level is TABLEWINE Stay away from it, liquid juice can be added and it is mostly industrial wine. How else can you sell something like that for 2.99 € at the supermarket when the bottle cost you already 40 cents, the VAT has to be paid and the retailer wants his cut as well. Quality wine (Qualitätswein) begins with Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Icewine

On one hand this is self explaining but in most wine producing counties one must undergo government checks that the information on the label are complete and correct. Especially that the grapes come from the indicated region – remember last year the amount of Spanish grapes that converted overnight into French rosé?- Only after the government issues the certificate the wine gets a official number. Is it after that a good wine? Ou will still have to try out yourself.

Qvevri are large clay vessels used for the fermentation, storage and ageing of traditional Georgian wine. Resembling large, egg-shaped amphorae without handles, they are either buried below ground or set into the floors of large wine cellars. Qvevris vary in size: volumes range from 20 litres to around 10,000 litres; 800 litres is typical. 

Archaeological excavations in the southern Georgia uncovered evidence of grape pips and qvevris dating back to the 6th millennium B.C.. 

Artisanal families have passed down the knowledge of this ancient handicraft through the generations. The clay used to manufacture a Qvevri must be carefully chosen, as its characteristics will influence the wine’s mineral content. The process of making wine in Qvevri involves pressing the grapes and then pouring the juice, grape skins, stalks and pips into the Qvevri, which is then sealed. The juice is then left to ferment into wine for at least five to six months before being decanted and bottled. The pomace (mash of pips, skins and stalks) which remains is called chacha in Georgian. It is distilled into brandy which is also called chacha. The empty Qvevri is then washed, sterilized with lime and re-coated with beeswax, ready to be filled again.

Ugni blanc is an Italian wine grape, better known as Trebbiano one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. It has many other names reflecting a family of local subtypes, particularly in Italy and France. Its high acidity makes it important in Cognac and Armagnac productions.

The varietal may have originated in the Eastern Mediterranean, and was known in Italy in Roman times. A subtype was recognized in Bologna in the thirteenth century, and as Ugni blanc made its way to France, possibly during the Papal retreat to Avignon in the fourteenth century.

We’ve always been told that there are four basic tastes: salty, sweet, bitter and sour. However, there is a fifth taste, umami (pronounced oo-MOM-ee). It sounds more exotic and mysterious than the other four, and in a way, it is. Umami has been variously described as tasty, meaty, savoury or just plain „delicious.” Umami was isolated by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda in 1907. Ikeda wondered if the seaweed that gave flavour to a common Japanese broth could do the same for other foods. He discovered that the active ingredient in the seaweed was glutamic acid. Glutamic acid, or glutamate, had a taste that was distinctive from sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Ikeda named it “umami” (from the Japanese words umai or “delicious” and mi or “essence”). Ikeda then created monosodium glutamate (MSG), which could provide umami as a seasoning.

is a new Austrian grape created in 1922 by Fiedrich Zweigelt (1888–1964), who later became Director of the Federal Institute and Experimental Station of Viticulture, Fruit Production and Horticulture (1938–1945). Zweigelt is a crossing between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. After the war there was quite a controversy around this varietal as Friedrich Zweigelt had strong Nazi ties. Widely planted in Austria, in the Czech Republic it is known as Zweigeltrebe and is the third-most widely planted red-grape variety, comprising approximately 4.7% of total vineyards. It grows in most of the wine regions in Slovakia. Zweigelt tends to ripen 1–2 weeks earlier than Pinot Noir, and has very large heavy clusters of dark blue-almost-black grapes. The wine tends to be darker in colour than Pinot Noir grown in the same area, and produces a larger crop than Pinot Noir. It has cherry aromas with spicy undertones and a vivid acidity and it is mostly drunk young. Produced and stored in barrique it can develop great ageing potential and can hold up to strong foods like oxtail stew.

See Primitivo, this is how the Americans call the Primitivo grape