The flavor of pencil shavings in wine of Saale-Unstrut
Discover the of Saale-Unstrut wines revealing the of pencil shavings flavor during the olphactive analysis (nose) and during the gustative analysis (mouth).
Saale-Unstrut is the northernmost of Germany's 13 wine-growing regions. At 51 degrees northern latitude, it is one of the most northerly wine regions in the world. It takes its name from the two rivers on the banks of which the Vines of the region grow, and is composed of three non-contiguous Parts located mainly in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, with around 650 hectares (1600 acres) of Vineyards, often terraced, on South and south-west-facing slopes along the narrow river valleys. A smaller area of 20 hectares (50 acres) is located in the state of Thüringen and a block of just 7 hectares (17 acres) in Brandenburg.
Two towns within the region, Freyburg and Karsdorf, each have one vineyard which has been accorded Grosse Lage status.
Wine has been grown here for more than 1000 years. The Cistercian monks founded the Pforta Abbey in approximately 1100 AD and established the Pfortenser Köppelberg vineyard, which still exists today. The wine industry in this part of Germany had a Hard time during the post-war communist era, but since reunification quality has improved, and the area under vine has expanded slightly.
Saale-Unstrut enjoys plenty of sunshine and has one of the lowest rainfalls of any German wine-growing region. Soils are mainly sedimentary with shell, limestone and sandstone predominating. Despite these favorable conditions, the region's northern Climate is uncompromising, and even when yields are kept low, Spätlese or Auslese wines can only be produced during the warmest of years.
Müller-Thurgau is the most widely planted variety in the Saale-Unstrut region, accounting for around 20 percent of the total vineyard area.
Do growers make wine – or do markets? Growers, of course. Yet markets define the scope of the grower’s creative efforts by what they reward or sanction. When markets are neglectful and unresponsive, there’s little the grower can do but conform. It’s a problem the world over. Here’s an example. The river Moselle/Mosel rises to the wet west of the Vosges mountains, then curves in a long green arc heading north through Epinal, Metz and (along the left bank) Luxembourg’s Grand Duchy, turning east at ...
While taller overall vines do exist in regions such as Galicia with their pergola training method, the roots of any vine usually top out at 37cm. It’s at this top point where the Vitis vinifera shoot is grafted in and continues to grow, giving us such grapes as Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. This is opposed to the rootstocks which are composed of various crosses of vines such as Vitis rupestris which aren’t used for wine production but are resistant to the root louse, phylloxera. This new tal ...
After a two-year hiatus imposed by the global pandemic, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) is hosting its 43rd annual congress this week in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. There is a sense of celebration among participants, but the joy of sitting around the same table again is clouded by urgency and worry as the industry faces significant challenges. The congress, a key event in the wine industry’s calendar, brings together a unique mix of stakeholders, including producers, ...