Nestled in the south, surrounded by the Black Forest Range to the east and running along the Rhine River from the French/Swiss border to the west, the state of Baden-Württemberg is one of the sunniest regions in Germany, consistently producing quality red wines for over a millenia. Until recently, Germany was known mostly for its age-worthy white wines, both sweet and dry, but with climate change, the country is increasingly recognized for its dry reds. These two regions, with their high elevations and warmer climates (relative to the rest of Germany), are similar to the Loire Valley, Alsace, and Champagne, and have been leading the charge in this regard for decades. Both produce a greater amount of red wine than most German regions, with Baden having the largest amount of red grapes planted. This is mostly Pinot Noir, but with the higher temperatures, some Syrah and even Cabernet Sauvignon are able to ripen. Württemberg, for its part, is planted with around 70% red wine grapes, predominantly the lighter bodied Schiava grape, known here as Trollinger, which migrated from its home in Northern Italy in the 14th century.

While wild grapes have been growing along the Rhine River Valley since prehistoric times, viticulture came to Germany with the Romans in the first century.  They planted along the steep slate and limestone-rich soils of the Rhine and Mosel in order to provision far-flung imperial outposts battling local Germanic Tribes. When the Roman Empire fell, the Catholic Church became the stewards of these vineyards. First Benedictine and then Cistercean monks planted vineyards and meticulously documented the best areas for growing grapes. Under the reign of Charlemagne in the 8th century, these monasteries became the hub of wine culture in the country as wine was found to be a safer alternative to the often polluted water. Pinot Noir, here known as Spätburgunder, is said to have arrived in Baden around the late 9th century, via German emperor Charles the 3rd, who brought it from north-eastern France and planted it near Lake Constance, just above the Swiss-German border. Known as “Clevner”  in Baden for hundreds of years afterwards, the grape spread further afield as nuns and monks fanned out from Burgundy to establish convents and monasteries. 

Wine remained a staple in Germany through most of the Middle Ages, with four times as much land planted to vine as there is today. It wasn’t until the 16th century that beer started its ascent in the country, with more and more land previously used for winemaking transitioning to food crops. This shift was exacerbated by the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War as well as the Protestant Reformation, leading to the dissolution of monasteries where winemaking knowledge was concentrated. These factors were compounded by the Little Ice Age, a period of cold, dry temperatures starting in the 1300s that reached their coolest around 1650, and led to widespread famine due to crop failure. Napoleonic law splintered vineyards even further, leading to a rise in cooperatives in these southern regions. After World War Two, the regions, which had been independent German states, were merged and split between French and American occupation. For most of the 20th century, the local  wines suffered from the same poor reputation as most of Germany’s output, producing light, semi-sweet and undistinguished bottlings,  apart from a few producers. This started to change towards the end of the century with more  vintners focusing on quality dry wines. These days the wines of Württemberg are good enough to garner recognition despite the fact that most never leave Germany, and many are consumed within the state itself. Württemberg and Baden are both areas worth keeping an eye on  as our selections this month demonstrate. 

Prost!

Justin Malesheetz - Fillmore Wine Buyer