Planet of the Grapes by Robert Sechrist

Author:Robert Sechrist
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781440854392
Publisher: ABC-CLIO

German Wine History

The Mosel drainage basin is the historic heart of German wine country, even though it represents only 20 percent of current German grape acreage and wine volume. The Romans brought wine culture to the Mosel and the western banks of the Rhine during the first century BCE. For more than 200 years the Romans transported Italian wine to their Rhineland territories; then, in 212 CE, the emperor permitted viticulture in the provinces. The Romanized populace planted Muscat (and other varieties known to them from the southern flanks of the Alps) on the steep slopes along the Mosel, Nahe, Saar, Ruwar, and Rhine rivers. The grapes presented a more highly acidic, highly refreshing wine than in the land south of the Alps.

Alcoholic beverage preference is one of the few remaining cultural traits distinguishing the old Roman–pagan border. The bounds of today’s German wine regions correspond with the extent of ancient Roman control. For the retired Roman soldiers settled on the west banks of the Rhine, a vineyard was a source of revenue and delight. More importantly, a vineyard was an icon of civilization, first Roman and later Christian.

The Romans made the city of Trier, on the Mosel, their northern/summer capital. After Rome’s fall the Rhine lands were part of the feudally organized Holy Roman Empire until its demise in 1806 at the hands of Napoleon. For most of the past thousand years the region suffered through innumerable nobles vying to control one another’s lands. Despite the turmoil, monks and peasants made wine. As a group, they maintained a remarkable consistency in grape selection, vinification, and wine style. In some cases the wine-making decisions were made by religious and political leaders.

Fabled German wine-making innovations have the moral: Make it sweeter! The first recorded step in this direction was the discovery and acceptance of the Riesling grape. Riesling is a descendant of Gouais Blanc (Weisser Heunisch), Traminier, and an unknown wild variety. The first reliable reference to Riesling vines comes from the Rheingau region in 1435. Through the years, church and secular authorities promoted Riesling production above all other varieties. After the Thirty Years’ War (1648) Riesling grapes were widely planted in Alsace. The Little Ice Age, which ended about 1850 and began in the 1600s, intermittently hindered grape production and ripening. In 1787, the Elector of Trier (Mosel region) ordered the eradication of lesser varieties and the planting of Riesling.

In the fabled discovery of Liebfraumilch the devil instructs a soul-seller to plant vines on a rocky knob of a hill near the city of Worms on the Rhine River. The Sylvaner-based wine was so good, the man declared it as good as “milk from the Blessed Virgin.” The Virgin Mary was so pleased by his pronouncement that she interceded from heaven and prevented the devil from claiming his prize. In reality the wine derives its name from the Liebfrauenstift monastery. The word for monk was minch. It was not long before the wine was renamed and the above fable invented.

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