On Thursday, we had a presentation on the History of Wine in Freiburg at the beautiful Wentzingerhaus. In focus was the city's oldest documented winery, the Heiliggeist Spital (Holy Ghost Infirmary) of 1298.
In the Middle Ages, its residents had the right to six liters of wine daily. Note that the alcohol content of the then-rather-bad wine was much lower than today, and above all, drinking the generally polluted water was dangerous.
We tasted four white and two red wines from Stiftungsweingut Freiburg, starting with the classic local wine of the Markgräfler Land: a 2010 Gutedel, the German name for the Chasselas grape. Next was a 2010 Riesling from the Freiburger Schlossberg.
Because of its south-facing slopes, the wine growing there is of an exceptional appellation. The following two wines were a 2009 Grauburgunder (Pinot gris) and a 2009 Chardonnay. Due to its abundance in California, some wine drinkers in the States coined the abbreviation ABC (Anything but Chardonnay). The two red wines that followed were both 2009 Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), with the latter from Schlossberg.
The Friday evening in the Baroque Hall of the Black Monastery was devoted to the Cultural Asset Wine. Vinissima, or Wine and Women, presented their wines and offered the bread. This organization of female vintners shows a male world that girls are better winemakers than boys. We listened to a few presentations and were subsequently complimented for our attentiveness with six wines, two served after each episode, all coming from wine-growing estates run by female vintners.
Before the tasting session proper started, we were offered half a glass of sparkling wine brut from the Blankenhorn winery south of Freiburg, made from Nobling, a relatively new cross-breeding of Sylvaner and Chasselas grapes. While we were still sipping the opener, the attractive German wine princess of 2009 talked about the history of wine. The origin of winemaking is lost in the darkness of the past, but one thing is certain: the Romans gave wine to the world by spreading vineyards across Europe.
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| Entrance to the Schlossberg vineyard of the Heiliggeist Spital |
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| The wines we tasted on Thursday evening. |
Before the tasting session proper started, we were offered half a glass of sparkling wine brut from the Blankenhorn winery south of Freiburg, made from Nobling, a relatively new cross-breeding of Sylvaner and Chasselas grapes. While we were still sipping the opener, the attractive German wine princess of 2009 talked about the history of wine. The origin of winemaking is lost in the darkness of the past, but one thing is certain: the Romans gave wine to the world by spreading vineyards across Europe.
The princess's presentation was followed by two wines, a 2009 Kloster Heilig Kreuz Weißburgunder (Pinot blanc), a dry, late vintage from Meißen, Saxony, and a 2010 Junge Wilde (Young and Wild) Grauburgunder (Pinot gris), dry, from Tuniberg near Freiburg.
After that, we listened to a doctor praise the virtues of drinking wine. Wine savored in moderation, i.e., one-quarter of a liter (Viertele) for men, and one-eighth for women, will lower the risk of stroke and cancer due to its polyphenol content of up to 1000 mg per liter. One Viertele per day corresponds to 20 grams of alcohol. Since she had studied psychology too, she added that drinking more than one Viertele in a lively company would not harm but rather be beneficial. On the other hand, up to 4 million people in Germany are alcoholics, turning the health effect of wine to the contrary.
The third wine presented was a 2009 Rüdesheimer Klosterberg Riesling Kabinett, half-dry, Rhinegau. Riesling is Germany's most important grape, covering 11% of its 160 square kilometers of vineyards. The Riesling was followed by a 2009 Bornheimer Hähnchen, Malvasier, the last vintage from Rhine-Hessen.
After that, we listened to a doctor praise the virtues of drinking wine. Wine savored in moderation, i.e., one-quarter of a liter (Viertele) for men, and one-eighth for women, will lower the risk of stroke and cancer due to its polyphenol content of up to 1000 mg per liter. One Viertele per day corresponds to 20 grams of alcohol. Since she had studied psychology too, she added that drinking more than one Viertele in a lively company would not harm but rather be beneficial. On the other hand, up to 4 million people in Germany are alcoholics, turning the health effect of wine to the contrary.
The third wine presented was a 2009 Rüdesheimer Klosterberg Riesling Kabinett, half-dry, Rhinegau. Riesling is Germany's most important grape, covering 11% of its 160 square kilometers of vineyards. The Riesling was followed by a 2009 Bornheimer Hähnchen, Malvasier, the last vintage from Rhine-Hessen.
Malvasia is an old grape known since the Middle Ages, when Greece still exported wine in quantities from the port city of Monemvasia. Even then, Malvasia wine must have been very sweet, like the one we tasted.
The last talk was about flora and fauna in the vineyard and centered on the vine frettter, or phylloxera. These sap-sucking insects were brought to Europe from the States in the mid-19th century. By 1870, phylloxera had become a plague that destroyed most of France's vines. The remedy eventually consisted of grafting European vine cuttings onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks, a practice still used today.
The end of the lecture brought us to the tasting of two red wines: a 2009 Reicholzheimer First Schwarzriesling (Pinot meunier), dry, from Franconia on the Tauber River, and a 2010 Lemberger or Blue Frankish Edition, dry, from Fellbach Württemberg; the first one somewhat sweet, the second much too young for consumption.
On Saturday, we were informed about Wine Adulterators and Fortification Grapes. Following a taste of Gutedel at the Alte Wache on Münsterplatz - Home of the Wines from Baden - we started for a tour of the above-mentioned Freiburger Schlossberg. This vineyard was built on the ruins of Vauban's fortifications. Usually, the place is closed to the general public, but our guide had the key. The weather was exceptional, and we felt nearly sorry when we had to return to the Alte Wache for our last wine tasting in three days.
Again we were offered six different wines. First, a 2009 Tiengener Rebtal, Rivaner (a cross-breed between Riesling and Sylvaner grapes like Müller-Thurgau), dry from the Vintners Association Tiengen, followed by two wines from the Stiftungsweingut Freiburg (see above), a 2009 Freiburger Weißburgunder (Pinot blanc), dry, and a 2008 Freiburger Schlossberg, Grauer Burgunder (Pinot gris), dry. The last white wine, a 2009 Opfinger Sonnenberg Gewürztraminer with 25 grams of sugar per liter, was described as lieblich, which translates to sweet. My grandchildren would have called it Limonade.
The last talk was about flora and fauna in the vineyard and centered on the vine frettter, or phylloxera. These sap-sucking insects were brought to Europe from the States in the mid-19th century. By 1870, phylloxera had become a plague that destroyed most of France's vines. The remedy eventually consisted of grafting European vine cuttings onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks, a practice still used today.
The end of the lecture brought us to the tasting of two red wines: a 2009 Reicholzheimer First Schwarzriesling (Pinot meunier), dry, from Franconia on the Tauber River, and a 2010 Lemberger or Blue Frankish Edition, dry, from Fellbach Württemberg; the first one somewhat sweet, the second much too young for consumption.
On Saturday, we were informed about Wine Adulterators and Fortification Grapes. Following a taste of Gutedel at the Alte Wache on Münsterplatz - Home of the Wines from Baden - we started for a tour of the above-mentioned Freiburger Schlossberg. This vineyard was built on the ruins of Vauban's fortifications. Usually, the place is closed to the general public, but our guide had the key. The weather was exceptional, and we felt nearly sorry when we had to return to the Alte Wache for our last wine tasting in three days.
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| The sunny slopes at the Schlossberg |
The first of the following two wines was a rosé 2010 Tiengener Rebtal Spätburgunder (Pinot noir), dry from the Vintners Association Tiengen. This is not to be confused with the traditional Weißherbst (Vin gris), made from red grapes, where the reddish color results from pressing the grapes with their skins, while the skin is left in the grape juice during fermentation.
If the final product's color doesn't reach the desired saturation, it's common to add juice from Färbertrauben (Teinturier). The last wine was a dry 2009 Freiburger Kapellenweg Spätburgunder from the Vintners Association Munzingen.
The topic discussed between serves was winemaking and adulteration. Here I learned why I no longer experience headaches when drinking German wine. Although I did not consume wine in excess, I remember that as a student and even later, I was never immune to a hangover the following morning. Since the Middle Ages, these hangovers have been attributed to the quantity of sulfur added to stop the complete fermentation of grape juice, keeping some residual sugar.
The topic discussed between serves was winemaking and adulteration. Here I learned why I no longer experience headaches when drinking German wine. Although I did not consume wine in excess, I remember that as a student and even later, I was never immune to a hangover the following morning. Since the Middle Ages, these hangovers have been attributed to the quantity of sulfur added to stop the complete fermentation of grape juice, keeping some residual sugar.
As the only tangible result of the Imperial Diet held at Freiburg, a Statute and Order for Wine (satzung unnd ordnung über die weyne) was passed as early as 1498. This order set limits on the amount of sulfur allowed in winemaking. Violations called for Draconian measures, sometimes ending up in hanging. Minor infringements were punished by knocking the bottom out of the barrel concerned (dem Fass den Boden ausschlagen).
With the advent of modern cooling techniques, people drinking wine have no reason to get headaches. Nowadays, before fermentation starts, a small quantity of grape juice is set aside and kept cool. Fermentation of the bulk is no longer stopped by adding sulfur; it continues until most of the sugar has turned into alcohol, and then stops on its own. The wine is then filtered and left to repose.
With the advent of modern cooling techniques, people drinking wine have no reason to get headaches. Nowadays, before fermentation starts, a small quantity of grape juice is set aside and kept cool. Fermentation of the bulk is no longer stopped by adding sulfur; it continues until most of the sugar has turned into alcohol, and then stops on its own. The wine is then filtered and left to repose.
Before selling, the winemaker adds some or all of the grape juice set aside to reach the desired residual sugar level in the final product. And indeed, following Goethe's dictum: Das Leben ist zu kurz, um schlechten Wein zu trinken (Life is too short to drink bad wine), I don't suffer from headaches anymore.
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