- Saale-Unstrut
Saale-Unstrut is a region ("Anbaugebiet") for quality wine in Germany [http://www.wein.de/1465.0.html Wein.de (German Agricultural Society): Saale-Unstrut] , read on January 2, 2008] , and takes its name from the rivers
Saale andUnstrut . The region is located on various hill slopes around these rivers. Most of the region's convert|663|ha under vine in 2006 [http://www.deutscheweine.de/icc/Internet-DE/med/1a6/1a64f607-a3e5-5117-3d28-952196117f51,11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111.pdf German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2007-2008] ] is situated in the federal state ofSaxony-Anhalt , with around 20 hectares in the state ofThuringia .Geography and climate
Saale-Unstrut is the northernmost of
Germany 's wine regions, and is therefore one ofEurope 's northernmost traditional wine regions. The wines from theMemleben Abbey were mentioned in the literature already in the year 998 AD. Because of the cooler climate, yields are low, andSpätlese orAuslese can be produced only in exceptionally warm years and yields are generally low.The region in the district
Burgenlandkreis has awine route which was opened in 1993.Grape varieties
The most common
grape varieties are the white varietiesMüller-Thurgau , on 19.2% of the vineyard surface in 2006,Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc ) on 11.6%, andSilvaner on 8.7%. White varieties make up 73% of Saale-Unstrut's plantins. Wines such as Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, which elsewhere are considered to produce wines of more mediocre quality, are sometimes considered to give better wines in the cold climate such as Saale-Unstrut's. The wines are labelled varietally, as most German wines, and are generally vinified dry with a refreshing acidity, resulting from the cool growing conditions.References
External links
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