Württemberg [VURT-uhm-behrk]
One of Germany’s thirteen anbaugebiete (quality-wine regions), located along the Neckar River and its tributaries where they flow east of the Rhine River before turning west to join the Rhine. The majority of the region’s 28,000 acres of vineyards are situated just north of the city of Stuttgart. The region is divided into three main bereiche—Kocher-Jagst-Tauber, Remstal-Stuttgart, and Württembergisch Unterland. There are many small vineyards in the region and almost 90 percent of the crop is processed by grower’s cooperatives. Unlike most Anbaugebiete, red varieties make up over 50 percent of the planted acreage in Württemberg. Riesling is the most widely planted grape, but there are several widely planted red varieties—Trollinger (Schiava), Müllerrebe (Meunier), Limberger, Portugieser, and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). Red wines are generally slightly sweet and light in both color and tannins. Because many of the red grapes lack adequate color, they’re made into Weissherbst (a rosé) rather than red wine. This region’s other specialty is Schillerwein, a pink wine made by combining red and white grapes prior to fermentation.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.