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WINES OF GERMANY
These come chiefly from two verv well known areas,
the Rhine and the Moselle.
The cultivation of the vine in these parts spread up the
Valley of the Rhone from Marseilles into the valleys of the
rivers Rhine and Moselle in very early times, while in the
3rd century A.D.the Roman Emperor of that time ordered
the destruction of the vineyards of these areas, but for
tunately it was the Emperor Probus who ruled from
A.D. 276-282 who gave an order for them to be replanted.
Some of the more important vineyards were laid out
in the 12th century. Quite a number of them belonged
to various religious bodies but have since passed into
other hands due in the main to the various wars in which
the German people have been involved throughout the
years.
The name given to the wines of the River Rhine is pro
bably derived from the town of Hochheim, a town on the
River Main, a tributary of the River Rhine. At one time
they were known as"Rhenish"wines.
In these two areas there are protected valleys, the Rhine,
Moselle, Main, Nahe and Saar, in which the cultivation
of the vine is possible, even though they are in such a
northerly position. Even in the sheltered valleys of these
rnost northerly commercial vineyards, the grapes do not
ripen every year,in some years the musts need the addition
of sugar, and so the resultant wines are not"fine"wines.
In some years the farmers place slates on the ground to
reflect the warmth of the sun to the grapes in order to
ripen them.
Both the areas mentioned produce white wines, although
some red wines are produced and drunk locally. The best
of these red wines are Assmannshausen, Ingelheim,
Walporzhelm and Duerkheim.
Of the white wines produced, they are mainly of the
dry variety, but some sweet wines are known.
Sparkling wines are produced and known as Sekt(mean
ing sparkhng) and are known under the names of Sparkhng
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