Viticulture in Luxembourg

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Wine-growing region in Luxembourg

The Luxembourg wine mostly describes the Moselle area with also for the German Mosel typical steep slopes and rock soils. The Luxembourg wine-growing region is therefore actually called the Luxembourg Moselle or Miselerland . However, you will not find the slate soils typical of the German Moselle in Luxembourg, but shell limestone and Keuper . In addition, the valley widens from north to south, so that the landscape at the entrance to the Moselle at Schengen only has very low, rounded slopes.

In the Luxembourg wine-growing region, dry, single-variety white wines are produced almost exclusively . Typical of the Luxembourg Moselle is the juxtaposition of German and northern French grape varieties, e.g. For example: Riesling , Müller-Thurgau (locally called Rivaner), Elbling , Auxerrois , Pinot Gris , Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer . Red wines, mostly Pinot Noir , sometimes Sankt Laurent , are rather rare. A not inconsiderable proportion of white wine grapes is processed into sparkling wine or crémant . Today around 450 full-time and part-time winemakers cultivate 1,300 hectares of vineyards. The wines are produced by the members of the winery “Domaines de Vinsmoselle” (58% of the national production), the private winemakers (Organization Professionelle des Viticulteurs Indépendants; 28% of the production) and the wine trade (14% of the production).

The Luxembourg Wine Queen ( Luxembourgish : Lëtzebuerger Wäikinnigin ) represents the wines and viticulture in Luxembourg. It is crowned every year on the second weekend in September at the Grape and Wine Festival in Grevenmacher .

History of viticulture in Luxembourg

The wine-growing history of Luxembourg is closely linked to the historical events on the Untersauer and Moselle rivers.

The Moselle forms the border with Germany over a length of 36 km . The Moselle cultivation area lies on the German bank . The history of the two regions is closely linked, here as there the cultivation of vines goes back to Roman times . The Romans brought in the 1st century BC The viticulture in this area.

In the Middle Ages , the establishment of numerous monasteries led to the boom in viticulture throughout the country. It was not until the very severe winter of 1709 that the entire country, with the exception of the Moselle valley, was destroyed. In the period that followed, 90% of the vines of the Elbling variety were planted, which were almost exclusively exported as barrels for blending to the German wine-growing region Mosel-Saar-Ruwer . When Luxembourg withdrew from the German Customs Union after the First World War in accordance with the agreements of the Peace Treaty of Versailles , a completely new situation arose for Luxembourg viticulture, as the previous sales market collapsed. In 1922, Luxembourg entered into a customs union with Belgium ( UEBL ). As a result, new French grape varieties were introduced and the Luxembourg state tried to strengthen the identity of its own wines. This led to the establishment of a wine-growing institute in Remich in 1925 and the establishment of the quality wine system of the Marque nationale des vins de la Moselle luxembourgeoise in 1935 .

Grape varieties

The Grand Ducal Ordinance of May 6, 2004 permits wine production (wine and quality wine) with the following grape varieties:

The area proportions relate to the year 2008.

The varieties ' Dakapo ', ' Gamay ', ' Muskat-Ottonel ', ' Frühburgunder ' ('Pinot Noir précoce'), St. Laurent and ' Silvaner ' are also found to a lesser extent . The grape variety 'Dakapo' may only be blended with a maximum of ten percent with the grape varieties' Pinot Noir ',' Gamay ',' Frühburgunder 'and' St. Laurent 'can be used.

Wine predicates and the Luxembourg quality wine

Viticulture on the Luxembourg Moselle

The quality wine system Marque Nationale des Vins luxembourgeois was introduced on March 12, 1935. A small rectangular additional label on the back of the bottle confirms the controlled origin with the Marque Nationale-Appellation contrôlée and guarantees a basic quality of the wine.

The wine is subjected to a state laboratory analysis at the Viti-Vinicole Institute in Remich. In addition, the wines are sensory judged according to the criteria of color, clarity, smell and taste in a commission of the Marque Nationale des Vins luxembourgeois . The label on the back is awarded with a minimum rating of 12 points on a scale up to 20. With 14 or more points, the wine can bear the quality designation Vin classé , with 16 or more points the designation Premier Cru and with 18 to 20 points the designation Grand Premier Cru .

As a contribution to marketing, the Luxembourg Moselle Valley Road was declared the Luxembourg Wine Route .

Since January 8, 2001, the names Vendanges Tardives (late harvest), Vin de Glace ( ice wine ) and Vin de Paille ( straw wine ) were introduced.

Since January 4, 1991, the appellation Crémant de Luxembourg was introduced for the quality sparkling wine . This quality sparkling wine is produced using the traditional bottle fermentation method. The Crémant is offered either as a single-variety wine made from the Elbling, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grape varieties, as a dry (brut) or semi-dry (demi-sec) cuvée (i.e. a blend of several grape varieties), or as a vintage sparkling wine. The sparkling wine rosé consists mainly of Pinot Noir.

Since autumn 2014, the wines on the Moselle have been marketed under the AOP ( Appellation d'Origine Protégée ) label. The wines are no longer listed under the former quality designations "Premier Cru", "Grand Premier Cru" or "Vin classé". The new labels are: "lieu-dit" (location or terroir wines), "Coteaux de" (premium wines typical of the region) and the "Côtes de" (harmonious entry-level wines).

Vineyards

The Luxembourg viticulture has a total of 1295 hectares of vineyards. The following vineyards are located on the 42 km long route between Rosport and Schengen:

  • Ahn with the individual layers Palmberg, Gëllebour or Göllebour, Heiligenhäuschen, Helenterbour, Hohfels, Pietert, Steinkaul, Vogelsang, Wacholderberg, Weinbour
  • Bech-Kleinmacher with the individual layers Enschberg, Falkenberg, Fusslach, Galgenbier, Goldberg, Gottesberg or Gottesgôf, Hischnerg, Jongeberg, Kurschels, Naumberg, Roetschelt, Scheuerberg, Steinrausch, Stencheswengert, Perdeg, Zehrenberg
  • Bous with the location Johannisberg
  • Ehnen with the individual layers Bidelt, Brommelt, Dieffert, Ehnerberg or Eineberg, Heiligenhäuschen, Hutte, Kelterberg, Konwelt, Leitschberg, Mestechberg, Primerberg, Reisselt, Rosemen, Stoudt, Wousselt, Zenner
  • Ellange
  • Erpeldingen
  • Gostingen
  • Greiveldange with the individual layers Bensberg, Dieffert, Fels, Herrenberg, Hütte, Primerberg
  • Grevenmacher with the individual layers Cotes, Fels, Groard, Kraizerberg, Leitschberg, Pietert, Rosenberg
  • Hettermillen
  • Lenningen
  • Machtum with the individual layers Alwengert, Fels, Gollebour, Hohfels, Ongkaf, Schuwer, Widdem
  • Mertert with the individual layers Bocksberg, Elterberg, Fels, Herrenberg, Hohfels, Koeppchen, Nussbaum, Ongkaf
  • Mondorf
  • Niederdonven with the sites Bauschberg, Diedenacker, Fels
  • Oberdonven
  • Remerschen with the individual layers Jongeberg, Kreitzberg, Kreitchen, Reith, Rodenberg
  • Remich with the individual layers Altenberg, Fels, Goldberg, Haelwengert, Hopertsbour, Kirchgarten, Naumberg, Primerberg, Rochers
  • Rolling
  • Rosport with the single layer "Hoelt"
  • Schengen with the locations Fels, Markusberg
  • Schwebsange with the locations Dieffert, Hehberg, Kolteschberg, Letscheberg, Steilberg
  • Stadtbredimus with the layers Brett, Diefert, Fels, Goldberg, Heide, Hosbusch, Koeppchen, Primerberg, Rousegerb, Wolwergruef
  • Water cheap
  • Wellenstein with the locations Brauneberg, Enschberg, Foulschette, Jongeberg, Knipp, Kurschels, St. Annaberg, Veilchenberg
  • Wintrange with the sites Felsberg, Hommelsberg
  • Wormeldange with the individual layers Ehnerberg, Elterberg, Gaaschtwengert, Kelterberg, Koeppchen, Mohrberg, Heiligenhäuschen, Niedert, Nussbaum, Pietert, Pieteschwengert, Schengenfels, Stiercherg, Weinbour, Wousselt

Outside the Moselle valley , viticulture is still practiced on the Untersauer in Rosport in the "Hoelt", at the easternmost point of the Grand Duchy. There is also a plot of land with vines in the so-called "monastery garden" at the foot of the Bockfelsen in Luxembourg City. Around 200 bottles of "non-Moselle wine" are made from it.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ miselerland.lu ( Memento from September 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Viticulture in Luxembourg ( Memento of January 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Institut viti-vinicole. Retrieved February 12, 2018
  3. ↑ Wine-growing areas according to the different grape varieties 1975 - 2010 , accessed October 1, 2012
  4. ↑ AOP , on aop.lu . Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ AOP , on wort.lu . Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ acreage , on aop.lu . Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  7. ↑ Klouschtergaart: des vendanges en pleine capitale (fr) Le Quotidien. Retrieved February 12, 2018.

Web links

literature