Baierwein

Vineyard in Bach on the Danube

Old Bavaria in red: grown here wine is as Baier wine referred

Baierwein , today almost identical to the country wine region of Regensburg , is the name of a wine that is grown in the region of Altbayern (Baiern) , which includes the administrative districts of Upper Bavaria , Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate . Basically, today's growing area of ​​the Baier wine is limited to the south-western slopes of the Bavarian Forest along the Danube , the so-called country wine region of Regensburg. Baierwein differs in two ways from Franconian wine , which is also grown in Bavaria : the growing areas are outside of the three Franconian administrative districts of Lower Franconia , Middle Franconia and Upper Franconia and it is not a specific growing area but just a country wine area .

Today, the Regensburg country wine region is the second smallest wine-growing region in Germany and the smallest in Bavaria after the Stargarder Land (wine-growing region) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In many wine guides it is only shown as a "Danube sub-area" within Bavaria. Currently it has only a few hectares of cultivation area and is mainly limited to Regensburg (district Winzer ) and in the district of Regensburg to the communities Tegernheim , Donaustauf , Bach an der Donau , Kruckenberg (community Wiesent) and Wörth an der Donau (district Tiefenthal ). In this region is the shortest wine route in Germany with a length of 20 kilometers, the wine route. It runs along State Road 2125 from Tegernheim to Tiefenthal.

history

Baierweinmuseum Bach on the Danube

The historic wine press in the Biethaus von Bach ad Donau

Viticulture on the southern slopes of the Danube is likely to have begun as early as Roman times, although there is no archaeological evidence of this.

The first documented mentions of viticulture in Old Bavaria go back to the time of the Bavarian conquest, that is to the 6th and 7th centuries AD. Bishop Aribo von Freising speaks of the "regio Baiovariorum" in 649 in the vita of Saint Emmeram of Regensburg viniferax “, that means the wine-bearing country of the Bavarians . The places Winzer, Kruckenberg and Bach an der Donau were mentioned as wine-growing sites as early as the 8th century, and places such as Windischbergerdorf near Cham or Mendorf near Vohburg , Großviecht near Freising , Bergen near Inkofen in the Ampertal valley were also mentioned as early as the 11th century , the Herrenchiemsee monastery and many others.

In the early and high Middle Ages, viticulture on the slopes of the Danube remained predominantly in the hands of the large monasteries and mansions, from Kelheim to Passau, such as B. St. Emmeran or St. Jakob in Regensburg. The acreage of the feudal lords as a fief given to the "Weinzierl" (wine puller) mentioned winemakers who up to 2/3 of the wine had to give to the basic rule, depending on the contract. While viticulture was initially only used to cover personal needs, the beginnings of commercial viticulture could gradually be recognized during this time. Baierwein was first mentioned by name in 1271.

With the growth of monastic and secular landed property, the production of Baierwein increased. The city of Regensburg alone owned 42 vineyards in 1509. However, as long-distance trade flourished in the tribal duchy of Bavaria, wines of other origins became increasingly known and popular. Regensburg, the center of Baierwein, developed into a main transshipment point, with Weinlände, Weintor and Weinstadel on the Danube. However, more and more wines from Austria, South Tyrol, Italy and Württemberg were traded. As early as 1400, 35 wine dealers were registered in Regensburg, 13 of them long-distance dealers, mainly with connections to the south. The Baierwein itself was seen more as a people's drink, had no supra-regional significance with its relatively low quality and was therefore not an export hit.

But at least the Wittelsbach dukes had around 40,000 liters of Baier wine delivered to their Munich residence every year, at the Landshut princely wedding in 1475, 170 large barrels, i.e. around 370,000 liters of Baier wine, were drunk. The Bavarian historian Johann Georg Turmair, known as Aventinus , noted around 1530: "The common man from the Gäu sits day and night with wine".

From around 1600 onwards, Baierwein received increasing competition from Bavarian beer, which was already produced in different brewing variants (top- and bottom-fermented beer) and could not be produced depending on the weather. In contrast, after several bad harvests in the relatively cool years between 1553 and 1628, the cultivation quotas for Baier wine fell significantly. In addition, many monasteries were dissolved with the Reformation and thus ceased to be promoters of viticulture.

The old Bavarian viticulture experienced a decisive slump due to the Thirty Years' War . At the end of the war, the population of Old Bavaria was decimated, numerous vineyards were destroyed or lay fallow, many winegrowers had not survived the turmoil of the war or gave up. At Donaustauf z. B. even 20 years after the war 110 vineyards "overgrown with wood and bushes".

After viticulture was reactivated in the meantime in the 18th century, the demand for and sales of Baier wine experienced a further slump due to competition resulting from the acquisition of new parts of the country. This primarily concerned the union with the Electoral Palatinate in 1777 and the acquisition of Franconia after the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806. On top of that, Bavarian beer became increasingly popular as a people's drink, whereas many unfavorable properties were ascribed to the out-of-fashion Baierwein, especially too high an acidity.

In 1853 the area under cultivation of Baier wine was only 180 ha (of which 166 ha in the Upper Palatinate, 13 ha in Lower Bavaria, 1 ha in Upper Bavaria), while in Lower Franconia 10,465 ha and in the Rhine Palatinate 10,076 ha.

Around 1869 commercial viticulture was only practiced in 14 communities: Tegernheim (27 ha), Wörth an der Donau (12 ha), Bach an der Donau (8.3 ha), Donaustauf (7.7 ha), Demling (6, 7 ha), Kruckenberg (6.7 ha), Frengkofen (5.7 ha), Hofdorf (5 ha), Tiefenthal (4.7 ha), Oberachdorf (3.7 ha), Sulzbach (3.7 ha), Pillnach (2.3 ha), Wiesent (1 ha) and Schwabelweis (0.7 ha), with a total cultivation area of ​​approx. 95 ha.

The change from the previously favored but not very tasty Elbling to the newly bred Müller-Thurgau grape variety , a cross between Riesling and Madeleine-Royale, meant a quality boost from 1913 , and another setback was the import of plant pests such as downy mildew , which in 1906 took the entire harvest destroyed. The phylloxera introduced from America in 1863 did no harm; the Baierwein area has always remained aphid-free to this day.

In 1938 the area under cultivation of Baier wine had already been reduced to 8 hectares, in the winter of 1956/1957 the frost destroyed almost all of the remaining vineyards and many winegrowers gave up. In 1958, for example, viticulture around Regensburg had shrunk to around 1 hectare of remaining area and thus almost died out.

It was not until 1972, with the onset of local tourism and the use of better grape varieties and cultivation methods, that Baierwein experienced an increasing demand and the cultivation areas increased again. In 1983 the designation "Regensburger Landwein" was introduced.

In 1998 the Baierwein Museum was opened in the historic Biethaus in Bach an der Donau and renovated and expanded in 2008.

Cultivation regions earlier

Viticulture in Bach on the Danube

Wine bar in Kruckenberg on the wine route

Viticulture in Tiefenthal

central area

The core area of ​​the Baierwein with extensive vineyards comprised

• the southern Jura slopes of the Danube and Altmühl, in Kelheim and Weltenburg,
• the southern slopes of the Danube from Kelheimwinzer to Kneiting near Regensburg,
• the Danube arch from Winzer to Tegernheim,
• the southern slopes of the Danube from Donaustauf to Wörth an der Donau.

Other focal points

There were also larger vineyards

• on the upper reaches of the Danube between Donauwörth and Ingolstadt,
• on the lower reaches of the Danube from Straubing to Passau,
• on the Isar between Freising and Landshut and near Dingolfing,
• am Inn between Wasserburg and Mühldorf,
• on the Salzach,
• at the Altmühl.

Scattered layers

In addition, there were scattered areas in suitable areas in northern Lower and Upper Bavaria, in western Upper Palatinate and in the Franconian transition country, in the Hallertau, on the large and small Laaber.

Cultivation regions today

Currently 19 winegrowers, some part-time and some hobby vintners, produce the so-called Regensburg country wine in the area around Regensburg with a vineyard area of ​​approx. 4 hectares:

• The city of Regensburg itself operates its own vineyard on the Winzerer Höhen .
• Regensburg winemakers: 1.54 hectares
• Brook on the Danube: 1.50 ha
• Kruckenberg 1.06 ha
• Small areas near Tegernheim and Pentling .
• Small areas near Thurmansbang .
• Small areas in Wörth an der Donau and Tiefenthal .

Cultivated grape varieties

Earlier

The traditional grape variety, the White Elbling , also known as Hierlander, was very popular as an undemanding grape variety, albeit of inferior quality. In addition, was Traminer , Riesling , Sylvaner and Chasselas grown.

today

• Currently the white wines predominate with approx. 88%, of which the most popular is the Müller-Thurgau with 64%, next to this white Elbling , Bacchus and Grüner Silvaner u. a.
• The few red wines (approx. 12%) include the varieties Dornfelder , Domina and Regent, among others

Due to the small area under cultivation, it is not possible today to identify special quality wines .

Sparkling wine from Baierwein

In 2015, Tiefenthal succeeded for the first time in producing a Baierwein from a cuvée of the Johanniter and Regent grape varieties that could be fermented into sparkling wine. The first Baierwein sparkling wine was of high quality and was produced using the traditional bottle fermentation method.

literature

• Theodor Häußler: The Baierwein. Viticulture and wine culture in Altbaiern . Buch- und Kunstverlag Oberpfalz, Amberg 2001, ISBN 3-924350-97-3 .
• Theodor Häußler: Regensburg wine, from Kager to Kruckenberg; The smallest wine-growing region in Germany . MZ-Verlag, Regensburg 2004, ISBN 3-934863-19-1 .
• Theodor Häußler: Viticulture in Old Bavaria. Baierwein then and now . Book on Demand, Norderstedt 2008, ISBN 978-3-8370-4352-5 .
• Thomas Horst: In old Bavaria there was once viticulture. The "Baierwein" in the mirror of early modern maps . In: Schönere Heimat , Vol. 99 (2010), Issue 1, pp. 25-30, ISSN  0177-4492 .

Web links

• Baierwein Museum in Bach on the Danube
• The smallest wine-growing region in Germany - Flyer for download (PDF; 404 kB), accessed on January 14, 2010
• The Regensburg country wine
• Books by Theodor Häussler

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Viticulture near Wörth ad Donau": Regensburg contributions to local research , accessed on November 9, 2016
2. ↑ Baierwein-Sekt , accessed on November 19, 2015.