Piesporter
Encyclopedia
Piesporter is a term used to describe a wine
made in and around the village of Piesport
on the north bank of the Mosel wine region of Germany
. A white, light body wine that ranges from dry to off-dry, it can be made from Riesling
, Müller-Thurgau
or Elbling
grapes.
The wine often has a Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete [QbA] classification meaning that it was produced in accordance to regional appellation
laws and has been tested for compliance by an official committee. In some cases a Piesporter may be chaptalized with sugar added to the juice before fermentation to increase the alcohol level. Chaptalization
is more common in the “cheap” export Piesporters that are made from the Müller-Thurgau and Elbling varieties. The cheaper wines are often labelled as "Piesporter Michelsberg" - which means that the grapes are somewhere from the area, as opposed to the first class vineyards in Piesport itself ("Piesporter Goldtröpfchen" being the most famous one).
Despite the “bad rap” that Piesporters get from the inferior varieties that often flood the market, Piesporter wine and the village from which they originate have a long and unique history in producing outstanding German wine
.
described the steep hills surrounding the river bend at Piesport as a natural amphitheatre covered with vines. Archaeological excavations have found several Diatretgläser
(ornate glass Roman drinking vessels that served as status symbols of wealth and importance in Roman times.)
At the foot of the Goldtröpfchen vineyard in Piesport, a 4th century AD Roman press house was discovered in 1985. With 7 basins, it could handle grapes from 60 hectares (148 acres)-making it the largest found north of the Alps
.
In 1763, Lutheran pastor Johannes Hau, convinced the local growers to plant Riesling grape exclusively and donated vines from his own vineyard. Today Riesling is still the dominant grape of the Piesport region.
The slate-blue Devon slate soil
is soft, light and stony, ensuring good water supply and is especially apt at absorbing the sunshine reflected by the Mosel River upon the steep south facing slopes. This helps to produce an optimal climate for Riesling grapes, giving “true” Piesporter wine a great finesse, a plethora of aromas, and a crisp & exotic finish.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
made in and around the village of Piesport
Piesport
Piesport is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
on the north bank of the Mosel wine region of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. A white, light body wine that ranges from dry to off-dry, it can be made from Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
, Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
or Elbling
Elbling
Elbling is a variety of white grape which today is primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel region in Germany and in Luxembourg, the vineyards of which are also located along Moselle River...
grapes.
The wine often has a Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete [QbA] classification meaning that it was produced in accordance to regional appellation
Appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
laws and has been tested for compliance by an official committee. In some cases a Piesporter may be chaptalized with sugar added to the juice before fermentation to increase the alcohol level. Chaptalization
Chaptalization
Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal...
is more common in the “cheap” export Piesporters that are made from the Müller-Thurgau and Elbling varieties. The cheaper wines are often labelled as "Piesporter Michelsberg" - which means that the grapes are somewhere from the area, as opposed to the first class vineyards in Piesport itself ("Piesporter Goldtröpfchen" being the most famous one).
Despite the “bad rap” that Piesporters get from the inferior varieties that often flood the market, Piesporter wine and the village from which they originate have a long and unique history in producing outstanding German wine
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
.
History
In 371 A.D, the Roman poet AusoniusAusonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
described the steep hills surrounding the river bend at Piesport as a natural amphitheatre covered with vines. Archaeological excavations have found several Diatretgläser
Cage cup
A cage cup, Greek diatreton, also vas diatretum, plural diatreta, or "reticulated cup" is a type of luxury Late Roman glass vessel, found from roughly the 4th century, and "the pinnacle of Roman achievements in glass-making"...
(ornate glass Roman drinking vessels that served as status symbols of wealth and importance in Roman times.)
At the foot of the Goldtröpfchen vineyard in Piesport, a 4th century AD Roman press house was discovered in 1985. With 7 basins, it could handle grapes from 60 hectares (148 acres)-making it the largest found north of the Alps
The Alps
The Alps is a 2007 American documentary film about the climbing of the north face of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps by John Harlin III, son of John Harlin who died on the same ascent 40 years earlier...
.
In 1763, Lutheran pastor Johannes Hau, convinced the local growers to plant Riesling grape exclusively and donated vines from his own vineyard. Today Riesling is still the dominant grape of the Piesport region.
The slate-blue Devon slate soil
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
is soft, light and stony, ensuring good water supply and is especially apt at absorbing the sunshine reflected by the Mosel River upon the steep south facing slopes. This helps to produce an optimal climate for Riesling grapes, giving “true” Piesporter wine a great finesse, a plethora of aromas, and a crisp & exotic finish.