German wine – key grape varieties 2

Spätburgunder (say it – Spatt-berg-under) In Germany, Spätburgunder is to red wine what the Riesling is to white wine. In fact, Germany is the world’s third largest producer of Spätburgunder, the German name for the Pinot Noir. Sensitive to climate and soil, it needs warmth (but not intense heat) to thrive and does well in chalky soils. As the name implies, it ripens late (spät) and it was brought to Germany from Burgundy (burgunder), where it has probably been cultivated since at least the 4th century. The traditional style of German Spätburgunder is lighter in colour, body and tannins than its counterparts from warmer climates. Germany’s vineyard area is covered by Spätburgunder grapes, primarily in the region of Baden and produces elegant, velvety wines with a distinctive aroma of bitter almonds and blackberries.

Dornfelder (say it – Dawn-felt-er) Among new varieties, the Dornfelder shows great promise in the Pfalz and Rheinhessen regions. A relatively early ripening grape with high yield, it produces wine far deeper in colour than other German red wines. It was initially bred in 1955 for blending to improve the colour of lighter reds. Today it is prized on its own as a fragrant, full-bodied, complex wine with a fairly tannic acidity. From 124 ha in 1979, the vineyard area has expanded to 7,649 ha in 2017, moving Dornfelder to second place, after Spätburgunder (11,767 ha in 2017), among red wine grapes grown in Germany.