The "infinite subtleties of scent and taste nuances that Germany's vineyards impart to their growths" (Hugh Johnson) owe much to an infinite variety of landscapes, soils and climatic conditions in the German growing regions. Especially "macroclimate" (regional climate from 10 to 100 km) and "mesoclimate" (range of a few 100 metres) with their elementary influence on ripening, alcohol and flavour formation are more diverse than in hardly any other wine country in the world. The renowned wine journalists Dieter Braatz, Ulrich Sautter and Ingo Swoboda have undertaken to present this diversity of soils, climates and quality levels in a novel "Wine Atlas of Germany" as an overall picture of German wine.
In the authors' opinion, the 538 most important of the total of 2,658 German vineyard sites are presented in detail in clearly arranged site portraits with information on size, altitude, scenic exposure, steepness, predominant soils and grape varieties, most important wineries and special features - and visually localised in a specially developed cartography. The photographer Hendrik Holler, who specialises in wine in all its facets, has succeeded in characterising regions and individual vineyards with photographs that are as atmospheric as they are informative. The chapters on the identity of a vineyard: "What makes a vineyard special" and on the "History of viticulture" explain in a knowledgeable and concentrated way the necessity to reflect on the vineyard and the complex essence of the terroir (vineyard environment, cultivation methods and wine typology) - and show the exciting historical lines of development of wine from the first viticultural evidence to the current positioning of German wines on the world market. The atlas of vineyards also contains an exemplary index - unfortunately not a matter of course, even for sophisticated wine books - which allows for quick reference with the complete register of vineyards, the corresponding index of locations as well as the listing of the most important producers.
The book's main attraction lies above all in its well-founded attempt at a new overall presentation and classification of German vineyards. For the old winemaker's wisdom, according to which quality originates in the vineyard, must have been completely suppressed and ignored in favour of short-term economic interests - not to mention for reasons of "simplification" - during the development and passing of the German wine law of 1971. How else can it be explained that with this law countless old and qualitatively proven individual vineyards, vineyards and vineyard designations disappeared, secondary vineyards were given designations, some of higher quality, and for the sake of supposed "simplification" vineyards could be grouped together over large areas without regard to traditions and qualities?
After long discussions, the Association of Prädikat Wine Estates in Germany (VDP) reacted to the "negative consequences of the wine law" with its own three-level quality pyramid based on historical vineyard maps: Estate or local wines, classified site wines and VDP - Erste Lage. This classification has - according to the authors - after all "the great merit of having directed the public's gaze back to the quality of the vineyard sites" Nevertheless, it is fraught with problems, such as the dominance of the "dry taste" in the Grosses and Erstes Gewächses, as well as the disadvantage that the VDP model, of course, only includes member wineries and thus by no means covers the wide range of quality-oriented winegrowers. In contrast, the authors of the wine atlas have developed a four-level model based on Burgundy, which takes into account all 2,658 vineyard sites: 1. "Particularly privileged sites" (wine typology as an "exemplary juxtaposition of aromatic and flavour characteristics", Grands Crus), 2. "Privileged sites" (Premiers Crus), 3. "Good sites" (Villages wines with mention of a single site) and finally the majority of simple sites without further special awards. The authors obviously did not make it easy for themselves when creating the classification: statements from producers and merchants were just as much a part of the formation of opinions and criteria as the respective appreciation of the market and their own extensive tasting experiences, before finally visiting the site itself: "The heaviest weight was always a final visit to the vineyards, because often all the partial aspects only came together to form a coherent picture on site
The trio of authors has undoubtedly achieved a great success with this atlas of vineyards, which is as knowledgeable as it is stimulating and traverses the "field of tension between the recognition of unique natural conditions on the one hand and respect for human achievement on the other". This is all the more true as the authors do not succumb to the temptation to make their model absolute: "The classification presented here does not claim to be complete or even beyond all discussion". Nevertheless, it should contribute to the understanding of top viticulture and to a positive "elite thinking", which is expressed in "approaching the ecological system of vineyards with artisan clean methods and also strictly controlling their application"
It is to be hoped that the wine atlas will not only be another successful journalistic contribution to the promotion of wine culture, but will also initiate a lively discussion on the reorganisation of German vineyards: "After the work on this atlas, we wish even more than before for a broad political will to define the extent of all the high-quality individual vineyards of German viticulture in a factual manner and free of particular interests. Only in this way can the character of these vineyards be preserved and with it, ultimately, an approach to German wine that is culturally and sustainably oriented instead of short-term and short-sightedly economic."
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Dieter Braatz, Ulrich Sautter, Ingo Swoboda: Wine Atlas of Germany (foreword by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson). Hallwag: 2007, Munich. 280 pages, hardcover (22.5 x 29.5 cm). ISBN 978-3-8338-0638-4. 59,90 Euro.