This Friday, October 4th, students in the Double Degree Bac +3 Professional Licence – Higher Diploma in Wines & Spirits and in University Diploma immersed themselves in the vineyard… of Germany!
As a reminder: Germany is currently the 17th country in terms of vineyard area; there are 102,000 hectares of vineyards, representing 1.4 % of the area planted in 2017.
There are 13 wine regions in Germany, the main known regions being the Rheingau (3200 ha) and the Mosel (8700 ha).
The students visited the Baden region, not far from the Kaiserstuhl (a mountain range literally meaning "Ancient Volcano"). Covering 15,800 hectares, the vineyard is uniquely protected by the Vosges and Black Forest mountains. The soils are volcanic, granitic, and loamy.
Three grape varieties are predominantly cultivated: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.
The Baden wine region is known for its cooperative wineries, notably the Badischer Winzerkeller, the 4th largest cooperative winery in the world.
A closer look at one of the vineyards visited: Domaine Franz Keller
The Franz Keller estate is located in Kaiserstuhl Baden, Germany, about an hour's drive from Strasbourg. Since 2013, it has included a new building where winemaking is done by gravity: grapes are lowered from the third floor to the press through hatches in the ceiling. The grapes are then pressed on the second floor, and the juice is transferred to the first floor for vinification.
Vines and Terroir
The vineyards of the estate are arranged in terraces. Since the Middle Ages, this has allowed water to infiltrate the soil and not run off the bottom of the vines.
In the 1950s, the government decided to expand these terraces to allow for more vineyards. However, the Franz Keller estate decided to keep the old terraces, containing only three or four rows of vines, in order to preserve its quality.
The harvesting methods are traditional, done by hand. The terroir is volcanic and clay-rich; the wines are dry. Production is approximately 400,000 bottles per year from 60 hectares.
Winemaking
The red wines: they are fermented in oak barrels and the Grands Crus in stainless steel barrels. The grape variety used is Pinot Noir.
The white wines: they are aged in barrels made from Austrian and German oak. The grape varieties used are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay.
Several product lines are developed at the estate:
- The "Jeden Tag", a wine that pairs easily, hence its name which means "every day".
- The Premier Crus, vinified in stainless steel tanks and barrels.
- The "Franz Anton", which falls between Premier Cru and Grand Cru, is produced in 350-litre barrels.
- The Grand Cru
Namely
The Franz Keller estate boasts three restaurants: one in the shop, a brasserie in the village, and a Michelin-starred establishment. This last restaurant, which has been in operation for over 100 years, houses one of the finest wine cellars in Germany, with more than 2,700 different wines. The majority of these are French.
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