The flavor of wet asphalt in wine of Saale-Unstrut

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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.