Wines of Alsace (France) Germany and Austria
ALSACE 99% of wines are white Alsace is the only AOC region in France to list the grape varetal on the label
99% of wines are white
Alsace is the only AOC region in France
to list the grape varetal on the label
Alsace
Main grape varietals Riesling Pinot Blanc Pinot Gris (aka Tokay d’Alsace) Muscat Sylvaner Gewürztraminer
Riesling
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Gris (aka Tokay d’Alsace)
Muscat
Sylvaner
Gewürztraminer
Alsace Classifications AOC Alsace AOC Alsace Grand Cru * Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive Sélection de Grains Nobles AOC Cremant d’Alsace (sparkling wines)
AOC Alsace
AOC Alsace Grand Cru
* Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris
Vendange Tardive
Sélection de Grains Nobles
AOC Cremant d’Alsace (sparkling wines)
Rare wines, less than 1% of Alsace wine production Vendange Tardive (Late Harvest) Grapes picked when over-ripe, often several weeks after regular harvest. Some «noble rot» may be present Sélection des Grains Nobles Affected by «noble rot», individual grapes are picked one-by-one during harvest
Rare wines, less than 1%
of Alsace wine production
Vendange Tardive (Late Harvest)
Grapes picked when over-ripe, often several weeks after regular harvest. Some «noble rot» may be present
Sélection des Grains Nobles
Affected by «noble rot», individual grapes are picked one-by-one during harvest
Noble Rot (Botrytis Cinerea)
Germany ” A German wine label is one of the things life's too short for, a daunting testimony to that peculiar nation's love of detail and organization.” From the book Everyday Drinking by Kingsley Amis
Germany has 13 wine regions The most famous are Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Rheingau Rheinhessen Rheinpfalz
The most famous are
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Rheingau
Rheinhessen
Rheinpfalz
Mosel View
Saar View
Ruwer View
Grapes are listed on label! Main grapes (white) Riesling Sylvaner Muller-Thurgau
Main grapes (white)
Riesling
Sylvaner
Muller-Thurgau
Traditional German Classifications from low to high Deutscher Tafelwein & Landwein Table wine/Country wine (not exported) Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QBA) Quality Wine of a Specified Origin Qualitätswein Mit Prädikat (QmP) Quality Wine with Specific Attributes
Deutscher Tafelwein & Landwein
Table wine/Country wine (not exported)
Qualitätswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QBA)
Quality Wine of a Specified Origin
Qualitätswein Mit Prädikat (QmP)
Quality Wine with Specific Attributes
Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QBA) Daily quaffing wines Blended grape varieties Well-known brands: Blue Nun (Liebfraumilch) Zeller Schwarze Katz
Daily quaffing wines
Blended grape varieties
Well-known brands:
Blue Nun (Liebfraumilch)
Zeller Schwarze Katz
Qualitatswein Mit Pradikat (QmP) Levels indicate stage of ripeness of grapes Kabinett = Dry (Regular harvest) Spätlese = Late harvest Auslese = Select picking Beerenauslese = Select berries picking Trockenbeerenauselese = Select dry berries picking Eiswein = Ice wine
Kabinett = Dry (Regular harvest)
Spätlese = Late harvest
Auslese = Select picking
Beerenauslese = Select berries picking
Trockenbeerenauselese = Select dry berries picking
Eiswein = Ice wine
Other terms on German labels Erzeugerabfüllung = estate bottled Gutsabfüllung = bottled by grower's cooperative Abfüller = shipper bottled Trocken = dry Halbtrocken or Feinherb = half-dry/off-dry
Erzeugerabfüllung = estate bottled
Gutsabfüllung = bottled by grower's cooperative
Abfüller = shipper bottled
Trocken = dry
Halbtrocken or Feinherb = half-dry/off-dry
AP Number, "Amtliche Prüfnummer" Official Approval Number Official government quality control examination Conducted every year Control number appears on label of all QbA and QmP wines Consists of several blocks of numbers identifing the wine: 3 907 027 282 98 3 Testing center location 907 Village where winery is located 027 Code number for the winery 282 Two-hundred-eighty-second bottling of this wine 98 Year this test is conducted
Official government quality control examination
Conducted every year
Control number appears on label of all QbA and QmP wines
Consists of several blocks of numbers identifing the wine:
3 907 027 282 98
3 Testing center location
907 Village where winery is located
027 Code number for the winery
282 Two-hundred-eighty-second bottling of this wine
98 Year this test is conducted
Main Austrian Grapes WHITE Grüner Veltliner Riesling RED Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) Blaufränkisch
WHITE
Grüner Veltliner
Riesling
RED
Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir)
Blaufränkisch
Austrian Wine Classifications Levels indicate stage of ripeness of grapes Tafelwein/Landwein = Table & Country wine (not exported) Qualitätswein = Quality Wine of a Specified Origin Kabinett - Trocken Prädikatswein = Quality Wine with Specific Attributes Spätlese = Late harvest Auslese = Select picking Beerenauslese = Select berries picking Ausbruch = Select berries picking (botrytis) Trockenbeerenauselese = Select dry berries picking Eiswein = Ice wine
Tafelwein/Landwein = Table & Country wine (not exported)
Qualitätswein = Quality Wine of a Specified Origin
Kabinett - Trocken
Prädikatswein = Quality Wine with Specific Attributes
Spätlese = Late harvest
Auslese = Select picking
Beerenauslese = Select berries picking
Ausbruch = Select berries picking (botrytis)
Trockenbeerenauselese = Select dry berries picking
Eiswein = Ice wine
Enough Classifications! Let's move on
How Are Wines Rated?
100-point scale Most widely used rating method in the USA Made popular by wine critic Robert Parker in the 1970s The 100-point scale = same as US school grading system Used by the following magazines: Wine Advocate (Robert Parker's newsletter) Wine Spectator Wine Enthusiast Wine News
Most widely used rating method in the USA
Made popular by wine critic Robert Parker in the 1970s
The 100-point scale = same as US school grading system
Used by the following magazines:
Wine Advocate (Robert Parker's newsletter)
Wine Spectator
Wine Enthusiast
Wine News
20-point Scale Originally, this was the most popular wine rating scale in the US The 20-point scale is most often used in Europe, as that is the basis of the European school grading system
Originally, this was the most popular wine rating scale in the US
The 20-point scale is most often used in Europe, as that is the basis of the European school grading system
5-point/5 star Scale Used by Decanter Magazine & The Wall Street Journal WSJ ratings by Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher: Yech OK Good Very Good Delicious or Delicious!
Used by Decanter Magazine & The Wall Street Journal
WSJ ratings by Dorothy J. Gaiter & John Brecher:
Yech
OK
Good
Very Good
Delicious or Delicious!
Who wants a B-rated wine? Wine X is rated 89 points out of 100 and Wine Z is rated 90 points out of 100 Wine Z will sell thousands more cases than Wine X because of a 1-point difference Wines rated 100 points sell out ASAP, become collector’s items, price goes up dramatically. Wine enthusiasts will buy them at ANY price!
Wine X is rated 89 points out of 100
and
Wine Z is rated 90 points out of 100
Wine Z will sell thousands more cases than Wine X because of a 1-point difference
Wines rated 100 points sell out ASAP, become collector’s items, price goes up dramatically.
Wine enthusiasts will buy them at ANY price!
Are ratings unfair? "A wine gets rated one time — a nanosecond in its life cycle. From then on, its fate is determined. Aren't wines always evolving? Shouldn't they be rated every year?" — Quote from Sebastiani winemaker Mark Lyon Most influential publications in wine market: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate newsletter Wine Spectator magazine Tastings: Individual vs. panel When a panel/group tastes, scores are averaged
"A wine gets rated one time — a nanosecond in its life cycle. From then on, its fate is determined. Aren't wines always evolving? Shouldn't they be rated every year?"
— Quote from Sebastiani winemaker Mark Lyon
Most influential publications in wine market:
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate newsletter
Wine Spectator magazine
Tastings: Individual vs. panel
When a panel/group tastes, scores are averaged
100-point scale does not really go from 1 to 100 At Wine Spectator , base starts at 50 points At Wine News , base starts at 60 points Points 0-10 Apperarance 5 Aroma 7 Palate 9 Finish/Aftertaste 3 Subtotal 24 Points Base +60 Points Total = 84 Points
At Wine Spectator , base starts at 50 points
At Wine News , base starts at 60 points
Points 0-10
Apperarance 5
Aroma 7
Palate 9
Finish/Aftertaste 3
Subtotal 24 Points
Base +60 Points
Total = 84 Points
A matter of taste… Wine Critic Robert Parker + “ Flying Winemakers” consulting around the world = “sameness” Mass appeal vs. unique, local characteristics
Wine Critic Robert Parker
+
“ Flying Winemakers”
consulting around the world
= “sameness”
Mass appeal
vs.
unique, local characteristics
How do critics taste wines? Exhibit #1 Wines are tasted "blind." The taster does NOT know the price of the wine or the brand Reason: To avoid any personal bias, preconceived notions, expectations based on price/brand
Wines are tasted "blind." The taster does NOT know the price of the wine or the brand
Reason:
To avoid any personal bias, preconceived notions, expectations based on price/brand
How do critics taste wines? Exhibit #6 Professionals never swallow! They take a sip, swirl it around in their mouth, inhale, and then spit it out into a spit bucket Reason: Due to the high volume of wines tasted in a regular tasting session, this ensures the alcohol will not affect the taster
Professionals never swallow! They take a sip, swirl it around in their mouth, inhale, and then spit it out into a spit bucket
Reason:
Due to the high volume of wines tasted in a regular tasting session, this ensures the alcohol will not affect the taster
How do other types of critics rate products and services? Restaurant critics Movie critics Book critics Fashion critics
Restaurant critics
Movie critics
Book critics
Fashion critics
In real life….wine consumers: Know how much they paid for the wine See the winery name on label/bottle Rarely taste wine in sterile, silent, perfectly-lighted surroundings with white surfaces Most often eat food with wine Do not spit out their wine!
Know how much they paid for the wine
See the winery name on label/bottle
Rarely taste wine in sterile, silent, perfectly-lighted surroundings with white surfaces
Most often eat food with wine
Do not spit out their wine!
Critics vs. Consumers Wine consumers and wine critics have… … mutually exclusive tasting experiences! Conclusion: Be your own wine critic! Your palate and preferences are unique to you “ There are standards of taste in wine, poetry and prose…. Each man’s own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard.” — Mark Twain, 1895
Wine consumers and wine critics have…
… mutually exclusive tasting experiences!
Conclusion:
Be your own wine critic!
Your palate and preferences are unique to you
“ There are standards of taste in wine, poetry and prose…. Each man’s own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard.” — Mark Twain, 1895
Wine: ________________________________________________ Price: _________ Rating: 1 = unacceptable _______ 2 = good _______ 3 = great ______ Aroma intensity : barely perceptible_____ expressive ______concentrated/complex _____ On the Palate ACIDITY soft _____ crisp _____ high/strong ______ TANNINS soft _____ medium ______ intense ______ SWEETNESS needs more ____ just right _____ noticeable _____ cloying/sticky______ OAK PRESENCE none _____ light _____ medium ______ heavy ______ BODY/WEIGHT light _____ medium _____ full ____ FINISH/PERSISTENCE ______ short ______ medium _______ lengthy Purchasing criteria Do not buy at any price_______ Buy only if "priced right"______ Buy at current price______ Buy a case! Great price/value ratio______ Buy for special occasions______ Buy only as collector/showcase item _______
Typical Aromas & Flavors honey cinnamon apricot pear lychee jasmine rose petals strawberry orange/mandarin lime melon papaya pineappple minerals + slate rock candle wax
Wine: ________________________________________________ Price: _________ Rating: 1 = unacceptable _______ 2 = good _______ 3 = great ______ Aroma intensity : barely perceptible_____ expressive ______concentrated/complex _____ On the Palate ACIDITY soft _____ crisp _____ high/strong ______ TANNINS soft _____ medium ______ intense ______ SWEETNESS needs more ____ just right _____ noticeable _____ cloying/sticky______ OAK PRESENCE none _____ light _____ medium ______ heavy ______ BODY/WEIGHT light _____ medium _____ full ____ FINISH/PERSISTENCE ______ short ______ medium _______ lengthy Purchasing criteria Do not buy at any price_______ Buy only if "priced right"______ Buy at current price______ Buy a case! Great price/value ratio______ Buy for special occasions______ Buy only as collector/showcase item _______
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