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Baden: Wines with a feel-good character

Juicy Spätburgunders and voluminous, fruity Grauburgunders - this is what Baden stands for, as well as noble Weißburgunders or characterful Gutedel. Whether mass-produced, top-grown or genuine rarity. Baden wines are as diverse as in hardly any other German wine-growing region. Let's dive a little deeper into the vinophilic matter.
The wine-growing region of Baden is certainly not a drawer. Because it is far too multifaceted for that. Germany's third-largest wine region is also the warmest. As the only German wine-growing region, it belongs to climate zone B - and thus has conditions similar to Burgundy or the northern Rhône. Indeed, in Baden, it is even an average of 1.5°C warmer than on the Moselle! This has an enormous impact on the wine. Just for comparison: on the Moselle, it takes more than 150 days from sprouting to grape harvest; on the Baden Kaiserstuhl, the warmest sub-region, it's just 100 to 110 days!
Burgundy varieties are trump cards for Baden wines. First of all, late and grey burgundy. However, the Baden winemakers have an ambivalent relationship with the latter grape. At least this is reflected in the history of the growing region. Which is why we now take a little foray through the history of Baden wine.

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The history of the Baden wine

In 884, Charles the Thick (876-887) introduced the first Spättenbourg vines to Lake Constance. But already in prehistoric times, wild vines are said to have been found in the lowland forests of the Upper Rhine. The first sophisticated viticulture then took place with the arrival of the Romans in the region. There was only one drawback: only Romans were allowed to plant vines at that time - the locals had the right to do so. In 91 AD, the Roman emperor Probus lifted the ban on planting in these areas, which led to intensive viticulture.

Viticulture was introduced under Charlemagne (747 to 768) in the 8th century. Century widened. Noble wines were produced in the monasteries of Mainz, Worms and Speyer. Through Oct. 15 and 16. The Thirty Years’ War (1618 to 1648) marked a low point, with destroyed vineyards, famine and population decline. On Sept. Centuries later, the vineyards were rebuilt by the monasteries. In 1782, Carl Friedrich, the Margrave of Baden, cultivated Riesling for the first time in pure culture – in Winning Klingelberg.

In the period after the Second World War, a systematic clearing of fields was carried out in Baden to rationalise viticulture and increase yields. The Kaiserstuhl and the Tuniberg, which account for a third of Baden's wines, were remodelled to ensure mechanical management. At the time, the co-operatives were experiencing a heyday. But it soon became clear that their very sweet wines were no longer finding a big market. Particularly the Ruländer (synonymous with Grauburgunder) with its lush character. The farms then started picking the grapes earlier and growing them in stainless steel tanks rather than in wooden barrels. And the cooperatives came up with the idea of renaming the grape from Ruländer to Grauburgunder. It was the beginning of the contemporary Burgundy success story in Baden, which is still considered Germany's "Burgundy paradise."

Baden wine: Good to know

 

Subsections

Total vine area

Big sections

Single sections

Annual production

9

15.727 hectare

16

306

⌀ 1,3 million
 hectolitres

Baden wine: geography and climate

Baden is a 400-kilometre-long strip that stretches right from the Rhine from Lake Constance in the south to Tauberfranken and is divided into nine wine-growing regions. The growing area, which has a great variety of landscapes, is home to soils of all kinds - including moraine gravel, tertiary limestone, clay and marl soils, massive loess deposits, volcanic soils as well as granite-weathered soils, shell-lime and keuper. The wines are a mirror of this diversity - and that's what makes the Baden wine-growing region so attractive for the wine trade.
 
In the middle of the Upper Rhine Plain, shielded by the mountains of the Odenwald, the Black Forest and the Vosges, you will find the sunniest and warmest climate in Germany - a climate you would otherwise expect in Mediterranean regions. Hardly any other wine-growing region in the world has such an optimal combination of climatic factors - heat, sunshine and precipitation.

Baden wines in detail

 

Grape varieties Area

Grape varieties Prestige

Climate

Climatic influences

Soils

Spätburgunder (5,088 hectares), Grauburgunder (2,363 hectares), Müller-Thurgau (2,218 hectares)
 

Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay

Warm continental

Rivers (Rhine), lakes (Lake Constance), mountains (Kaiserstuhl, Black Forest Massif, Vosges)

Moraine gravel, volcanic soils, shell lime, etc.

Baden and its wine growing regions

Each of the nine Baden subregions has its own terroir and different climatic conditions. It is therefore not surprising that almost every subregion has a different grape variety focus. What follows is a compact overview of the main characteristics.

Badische Bergstrasse

The Odenwald protects the vineyards of the Badische Bergstrasse from cold easterly winds. In addition, the subregion shines with about 1,600 hours of sunshine a year. That's quite a lot by German standards. The soils are made up of loes, loess and weathering rocks such as porphyry, granite and gneis, on which mainly Riesling and Spätburgunder grow.

Lake Constance

The Spätburgunder has been represented in the vineyards here since the Sept. 19th century. Vines thrive superbly on the sandy soils and in the climate regulated by Lake Constance. Mainly Müller-Thurgau is grown here.

Breisgau

The Breisgau wine region produces Spätburgunder as well as Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder. The cultivation areas extend to altitudes of 500 meters and stand on shell-limestone, multicolored sandstone and marl soils.

Kaiserslautern

The region is characterized by its fertile soil of loess and weathered volcanic rock. The Kaiserstuhl is known for its excellent gray and late burgundy, characterized by opulence and elegance.

Kraichgau

Between Bruchsal and Wiesloch lies a hilly landscape of keuper, shell-lime and sandstone. The white Burgundy variety Auxerrois, which comes into the glass with its expressive aroma, hints of melt and palpable minerality, is the region's secret hero.

Markgräflerland

In the Markgräflerland, the Gutedel belongs above all. The humid climate and the clayey clay soils as well as heavy marl soils create optimal conditions for the often unappreciated vine, known in Switzerland and France as Chasselas.

Ortenau

Sandwiched between the Rhine on one side and the Black Forest on the other, lies the Ortenau sub-region, which is considered to be Germany's southernmost Riesling region. Riesling is called Klingelberger here and plays a leading role alongside the Burgundy varieties.

Tauberfranken

Although it's cool for Baden conditions, Tauberfranken is one of the sunniest regions in Germany. Here, the soils are shaped like limestone. The most important grape varieties are the Schwarzriesling (Meunier) and the Müller-Thurgau (Rivaner).

Tuniberg

The Tuniberg near Freiburg is a small but fine place, located southwest of the Kaiserstuhl and considered a secret tip for Spätburgunder. If you can get the wines in the glass at all, because most of the Tuniberg wines are sold in the region itself.

Baden: Economic factor wine

Its challenges are as diverse as the terroir of Baden wine. Wine production in Baden is still dominated by the winegrowers' cooperatives - and these now have a palpable sales problem. In particular, the many remaining sweet wines are difficult to sell, even in the cheap segment. This has led to a big change in the last few years. Cooperatives are merging and/or redesigning their product ranges. They are also repositioning themselves in marketing.

On the other hand, Baden also shines with a large number of self-marketing top wineries as well as many premium lagers. These can be found mainly in the Kaiserstuhl. A few years ago, however, the Landwein movement was born in Markgräflerland, which caused a sensation far beyond the borders of Germany. In the end, it turns out that the Baden wines can satisfy the entire wine world. Very cheap wines with decent margins and in large quantities for the food retail trade can be found here, as well as top vines and real heads of character.

Your selling points for Baden wines

  • Wines in every price segment so that many different customers can be targeted with them
  • Juicy red wines and fruity white wines
  • Mostly excellent value for money
  • Gutedel as white wine exotic
  • Wide range of different styles
  • Very good food companions
     






 
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