The Edinburgh Wine Club
|
| |
| Pfalz Wine
|
Pfalz is a key wine region in western Germany, located between the
Rhine river and the low-lying Haardt mountain range (a natural
continuation of the Alsatian Vosges). It covers a neat rectangle of
land 45 miles (75km) long and 15 miles (25km) wide.
In terms of both quality and quantity, Pfalz is one of Germany's most
important regions, and one which shows great promise for the future. An
increasing proportion of Germany's finest Riesling and Pinot Noir
(Spätburgunder) come from Pfalz vineyards, and the region
generates more everyday Landwein and Deutscher Wein than any other
region by far
With roughly 58,000 acres (23,500ha) of land planted to grapevines,
Pfalz is the second-largest of Germany's 13 Anbaugebeite wine regions
(only its northern neighbor Rheinhessen has more vines). The region is
home to some 10,000 vine growers, half of whom work as contractors, and
is so densely planted that vines outnumber inhabitants 600:1.
Pfalz's vineyards produce both white wines (60%) and red (40%). The
whites have long been the most successful and, as is standard almost
everywhere in the Rheinland, Riesling dominates the local vineyards and
wines. In 2013 the region had 14,000 acres (5,600 ha) of Riesling
vines, accounting for roughly a quarter of its entire vineyard area.
Riesling is easily Germany's most successful grape variety, from the
perspectives of both quality and quantity. Here in Pfalz it produces
wines which are noticeably richer and riper than those found in the
other top Riesling regions, Mosel, Rheingau and Nahe. The next most
popular grape, with roughly half as many vines, is Dornfelder, a
red-wine variety crossed in 1956 which has become popular all over
Germany. This is followed by Muller-Thurgan, Portugieser and Pinot
Noir, now Germany's most popular red-wine grape.
There are many similarities to be drawn between Pfalz and its southern
neighbor Alsace, not least because both regions are sandwiched between
the Rhine and the Vosges/Haardt mountains. The wine styles produced in
the two regions are also very similar, not just because the climates
are similar, but because of the grape varieties used: Riesling, Pinot
Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc are common to both
regions.
The low-lying, densely forested Haardt Mountains have much the same
influence over Pfalz as the Vosges do over Alsace. They rise as high as
2210ft (675m), and cast a rain shadow over the region, and are largely
responsible for its relatively warm, dry climate. It is this which
makes Pfalz's wines styles (particularly Riesling) noticeably more
concentrated and fuller-bodied than those found in cooler, wetter
regions. All of Pfalz's top vineyards are located in long thin strip at
the base of the hills.
The style of Pfalz's wines has evolved noticeably over the past few
decades. In the 1990s the proportion of Sekt made here rose
significantly in response to rising demand for sparkling wines (both
domestic and internationally). The region's still white wines have
reduced in sweetness, and are now mostly trocken (dry). Its red wines
have also evolved, becoming fuller-bodied and higher in alcohol as the
global appetite for this style has continued to grow. Pfalz Pinot Noir
has risen to become one of Germany's flagship wine styles, and is
gaining both national and international attention. Even Dornfelder,
whose plantings across Germany have risen significantly in recent
years, is now building a reputation as a more serious wine.