The flavor of straw in wine of Saale-Unstrut
Discover the of Saale-Unstrut wines revealing the of straw 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.
The prestige attached to winning at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) means that being awarded a Bronze medal for some wineries will mean huge celebrations in China, Japan, India, or Thailand. Since the competition began in 2004, I have often reminded judges on my panel about this – whether they are journalists, sommeliers, educators, Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers. Scroll down for new tasting notes and scores on Jia Bei Lan vintages: from the Chinese wine label that won big at DWWA 20 ...
Although Cru Beaujolais has been having its moment in the sun for a few years now, its younger, lighter-bodied ‘nouveau’ cousin is coming back into its own. How Beaujolais Nouveau Day started The tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau dates back to the 1800s. Winemakers would bottle their just-fermented wine, produced from grapes harvested just a few months prior, an unusually tight timeframe in winemaking terms. This occasion called for a massive celebration among Beaujolais-based vigneron ...
The Roussillon is home to a range of wine styles, at varying price points. Sweet fortified wines (vin doux naturel) used to dominate production, with still dry wines (vin sec) in the minority. In the last 30 years, however, this has completely changed, and vin sec now makes up the majority (80%) of the Roussillon’s output. The recent Wines of Roussillon tasting, held in London, not only highlighted many good quality dry wines being produced, but also cemented the idea that Roussillon whites are ...