Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 1980)
Bringing German wine home r hanksgiving approaches swiftly and the prospect of forsaking a beer habit in favor of a tasty meal accompanied by an even tastier wine looms nigh upon the palate. Unfortunately, parents and peers alike traditionally assume a collegian's lack of expertise within viticultural boundaries. And for most collegians, wine is indeed treated as an occasional or festive beverage. But the proper selection of a complimentary wine should include both time and effort. Actually, there is nothing like a good wine with a meal — especially Thanksgiving — be it a sit-down supper with your family, or an informal gathering with friends and acquaintances at the Salvation Army. And it is without a doubt that a good German wine should headline your shopping list this week. Even heavy food seems fresher and lighter when accompanied by a fruity German wine. Depending upon their acidity, they can be an integral part of any meal. G ermany, it must be noted, manages to export more white wine to the United States than even France, and at least three times as much as any other country. And most experts agree that the finest German wines are of excellent quality and may quite possibly be the best in the world Thanks to ideal growing conditions, viticulture has flourished for over 2000 years in the valleys of the Rhine River and its tributaries. Unlike past bountiful years, however, .the grape crop ail over Europe in 1980 has been extremely limited. I Initially, early wet and cloudy weather on the European continent hampered the flowering of the grape • vines. The wine growing areas that were damaged by this included the j Rhine, Alsace, Bordeaux and Burgundy regions. Coinciding, interestingly, with the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, throughout May, June and July, the flowering which produces the grapes was literally nil. Though the connection to the mountain’s eruption may be remote, growers in areas like the Alsace have never had a year as bad as this. Along with the lack of flowering, bunch-rot — or Bortrytis Cinerea “Noble Rot" — has reduced the yield still further. Although "Noble Rot” is seen as beneficial in regions like the Sauterne, where wines exchange moisture for grape sugar due to the rot, it becomes extremely detrimental in other areas where acid content and latent, ripe grapes are desired To understand the problem, consider first that the German grape crops of the Gewurtztramnier and Muscat vines are coming in at five to 25 percent of normal. In turn, the coveted Champagne region of France, where world renowned producers like Moet-Chandon (maker of the coveted Dom Perignon) are located, has reported a yield one-third of normal. Moet-Chandon is already paying its growers more than double this year and has announced a preliminary price increase. Within the Bordeaux region, the first harvest of Merlot grapes came three weeks later than normal. The Merlots were barely off the vine when the rains began but the Cabernet grapes were still loitering in the vineyards, waiting to be picked. specifically allowed by law are forbidden. Everything you read upon the label about the wine is subject to review by authorities. When you look at a label, you'll notice a special attribution if the wine is of some quality. This classification ranges from Tafelwine, the lowest, or table wine, to Qualitatswein, including Bestimmter and Anbaugebiete, the next step up; and finally to Qualitatswein mit Pradikat, 1 o what does all this mean to you, the consumer? It means higher prices and limited selections Which in turn brings us back to German wines. Recently, you may have noticed a sharp increase in prices of Liebfraumilcfr: This came as a result of the strength and stability of the German Deutschemark, and gives us an early indication of expected future price leaps. That is, the previous price hike will be nothing compared to what this poor year may bring. In this light, German wines loom as an even better investment now than they ever have. In other words, if you’re going to buy wine, it may be a good idea to buy by the case-lot and avoid the increases. In order to accomplish this feat, you’re going to have to either trust your local wine merchant, or know how to read a German wine label: preferably both. It’s important that you don’t consider a pre-stocked, chain store as a reputable wine merchant, since the person at the checkstand can usually only tell you whether the vino is white or red, and they are oftentimes not very accurate at accomplishing that. r he first motto to remember when reading German wine labels is that all denominations and expressions which are not which denotes the best wine classifications including, in order: Kabinett, Spatlase, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockerbeerenauslese Kabinett wine is the elegant, mature wine harvested at the general vintage. Spatlase wine, the next up the ladder, is made from grapes picked after completion of normal harvest, giving it a special bouquet and fruitiness. Auslese wines are made from the ripest bunches of grapes, individually selected, picked and pressed, producing noble wines for great occasions. Beerenauslese is wine made from overripe but sound grapes, selected induvidually from seperate bunches, which gives it the unmistakable flavor of Edelfaule, or Noble Rot; and finally, Trockenbeerenauslese, the most precious wine made from a special selection of over-ripe, raisin-like grapes, creating the richest,sweetest and finest wine Eiswein, made from frozen grapes, could be considered the best of all, but since the vintages are required by law to be made from only frozen grapes, distribution is limited to few areas outside of Germany itself. Liebfraumilch, an inexpensive white wine, has recently become a popular drink in taverns and bars. Legally, the name Liebfraumilch embraces the regions of the traditional growing areas: Rheinpfalz, Rheinhessen, Rheingau and Nahe. O riginally, the name probably identified the wine produced from a few acres of vines round the Liebfrauenkirche, The Church of Our Lady, in the town of Worms, along the Rhine, but it has long since turned into a meaningless passepartout of a name, vaguely synonymous with any Rhine wine. The cheapest and poorest wines of Rheinhessen may be and usually are shipped as Liebfraumilch, with the consumer’s only guide of quality being the name of the shipper, which likely as not is different from the name of the producer. Liebfraumilch has to be a Qualitatswein and must pass the analytical tests as well as the taste tests of the review board. It need not show its region of origin, but can. Taking these classifications into account, other than the vintage year (which is very important, as demonstrated by the poor 1980 crop), the National Qualification Number (A.P. Number) is of great importance. Basically, the A.P Number is given to wines after they’ve been submitted to local boards for review Examination boards are established in each of the growing areas, and every wine must be examined by that board which is competent in the , wine’s place of origin The number lists the number of the examination | board; the number of the estate where the community is situated; the identification number of the vintner; the vintner’s current review number and the year of examination which is not the vintage year. The number is important because it classifies the wine for years to come, and for that reason is blind tasted by | at least two different review boards, who keep a sample on file. If the validity of the testing is questioned, or if someone challenges the classification, the sample can be brought up for re-review. ^\lthough these explanations may seem obtruse by themselves, take them to your local wine merchant and test them for yourself Chances are, unless you’re dealing with an expert, the person will be less knowledgeable than you about the information available simply by reading the labels. And if you plan to establish a cellar, or to add to one for future savings, remember that the sweeter German wines keep longer than tart or acidic ones Case lots are cheaper and there should be some deals floating around during the buy-sell holiday season. One last thing to remember prior to meal time is that wine needs repose. Shaking injures the the wine and can affect the flavor. If the wine has traveled it must rest for a couple of days. So, don't buy a wine, any wine, the very day you want to drink it. Story by Jasz No’Oak Photos by Erich Boekelhelde