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| Vintage Notes on German Wines |
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| The vintage of a wine, most often printed on the wine label, is the year in which the grapes used to make the wine were harvested. |
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| The quality of wine can vary greatly year-by-year depending on the conditions experienced by the grapes. Knowing these conditions is important when selecting a wine. |
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| The notes below describe the conditions experienced in Germany as a whole. It is also important to know the conditions within each wine region, as well as with the wineries themselves. |
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| The 1999 Vintage |
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| The 1999 vintage was characterized by early flowering of grapevines, extreme summer heat, and a warm, humid autumn. Grapes were sunburned from the hot summer, and an extreme drought in autumn caused grape maturation to hault early which led to a lower-quality extract. |
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| Some Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines may lack complexity and may be affected by mushroom flavors. This is caused by an uneven development botrytis this year, which made it difficult to produce top-quality dessert wines. The harvesting of grapes for Eiswein (ice wine) was delayed this year, in some areas until January, which did not make for particular clean undertones in the wines. |
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| 1999 was a particularly good year for red wines, especially those from Burgundy (Pinot) grapes. They benefited from the conditions throughout Germany, more than the white wines. As a result, a large number of very good to outstanding red wines was produced. |
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| The 2000 Vintage |
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| For vintage ratings of each individual wine region in Germany, select a region below. |
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| The 2000 vintage started out with excellent conditions. However, by mid-August, a very long rain set in. This combined with warm temperatures caused rot. The early-ripening grape varieties could be harvested early and were saved in relatively healthy condition. However, the late ripening grape varieties, such as the Riesling, were damaged, resulting in small quantities of healthy grapes. |
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| The exception to these conditions was in the lower Mosel, parts of the Nahe and Württemberg, the eastern part of Franken, Sachsen, and Saale-Unstrut regions. These regions experienced less wet conditions. Wine producers here were able to bring in a relatively large harvest. |
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| Despite small quantities of grapes this year, wine producers were able to produce wines with juicy fruit and high extracts. Again in 2000, the red wines were particularly good, especially those from the Ahr region. |
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| The 2001 Vintage |
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| The 2001 vintage can only be described as outstanding. Weather conditions were optimal: an above-average amount of rain in July and September, and a long, dry Autumn. Wine producers were able to harvest excellent quality, healthy grapes. |
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| The late-ripening grapes, such as the Riesling, produced particulary good wines this year. Red wines were also good this year. |
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| The 2002 Vintage |
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| The 2002 vintage experienced an unusually cold winter, which caused some damage to grapevines. By June, weather conditions were optimal, which started the grape season early with even flowering. However, throughout the Summer months, both the temperature and rainfall were above average, which led to problems of rot and mildew. |
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| Despite the unfavorable conditions, grapes developed outstanding sugar, acid, and extract levels. Excellent dry Riesling wines, especially in the Rheingau, Pfalz, and Rheinhessen regions, were produced. Red wines from this vintage, however, suffered from a cool, rainy Autumn. |
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| The 2003 Vintage |
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| The 2003 vintage was characterized by hot temperatures. Vineyards without adequate water supplies suffered. However, those with adequate water produced exceptional results, especially the Riesling, Chardonnay, and Grauburgunder grape varieties. |
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| Red wines of this vintage benefited from the warm conditions. Many turned out full-bodied and deep red in color. |
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| The 2004 Vintage |
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| The 2004 vintage suffered from the after-effects of the drought from 2003. Although many problems were experienced by wine producers this year, many were able to produce excellent wines, especially those that harvested grapes late. Many wines turned out harmoneous, complex, and full-bodied. |
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| However, 2004 was not a good year for sweet dessert wines. Botrytis developed late and unevenly, causing bitter tones to be noticeable in the grape juice. Red wines of this vintage are inconsistent. |
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