A Guide To The Grape Muller-Thurgau
Welcome to this post about the grape variety Muller-Thurgau. A grape that is gaining more and more popularity in Germany. This post is a part of the project we are undertaking right now of going through the popular grape varieties in the world.
In the last post we covered Gruner-Veltliner, the signature Austrian grape, known for its spiciness. We will in this post like the other ones, cover the history of the grape, the style of wine it makes, climate and geography and lastly some places where I like to buy from. So without further ado, let’s get started.
History of The Grape
The grape was created when a German doctor by the name of Dr.Muller wanted to cross Riesling and Madelaine Royale in the year 1882. Two grape varieties that have very special qualities on their own. The reason that people want to do these mixes of grapes is to take the good stuff of two grapes to hopefully create something better. Lets say a grape is late ripening and another is known for deep complexity. The mix would probably be very intense and rich.
Late ripening varieties tend to be concentrated and mixing it with one that is already complex would result in a really good grape variety. Although Muller-Thurgau did not receive all the qualities of its parent grapes, it nonetheless became very popular throughout Germany and was widely cultivated. By the 70s it was actually the most planted grape in the whole of Germany, much because of its ability to be grown pretty much anywhere. It could handle rough weather and a diverse variety of soils and still perform.
SInce it was so easy to grow this made it so that many winemakers saw it as a good opportunity to get good yields year after year. The quality became diluted and was a cheap way of making alternative sweet wines that were popular up until the late 80s. The grape had a severe setback in 1979 though, the temperature fell sharply to minus 7 degrees in many areas which caused devastating damage to the vines. It is still a popular grape in Germany, but not nearly the same as it was before.
It holds a strong third place still, just after Riesling and Pinot Noir. Between the years 2006–2008 it accounted for 8 % of the new plantings in Germany, signifying a decrease but not a drastic one.
The Style of Wine Made
Some people associate the wines made with the grape as boring and lackluster since the vines are so hyperproductive and give such large yields almost every year. I agree that it kind of dilutes the quality of the wines made. But that does not mean that there are no wines made with exceptional quality. Since they ripen quickly the wines become quite mild and also cheap.
It has a naturally low acidity and flavours and aromas rose petals and peaches are common. If grown on limestone it has a tone of flint in the wine with good minerality. When young it has notes of lemon and lime in them. These are the most common expressions it is made into. But it is not only grown in Germany. It is grown in Austria to some extent as well and in neighbouring countries like Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
If grown in slightly colder climates like Wachau in Austria the acidity will be higher and the freshness more intense. I would like to mention though that with these wines, if the acidity is low the wine will age very quickly. If it is labeled within the Prädikat system, such as Kabinett, Spätlese or Auslese for example it can be said the wine will probably age very well.
Making it transform into more concentrated flower notes and slight hints of honey when left to be. It has seen some plantings in Australia as well. The wines here are made with more focus on the floral tones and ripe fruits. I associate the wines with really good aging potential just like the ones covered with the German prädikat system.
Climate And Geography
I said before that the grape can be grown in a wide array of different soils and conditions. This may be true, after decades of trial and error there of course is a type that is the most fitting for it. For the best potential for greatness the soil should be deep for the roots to really take up the terroir of the area and show it off in the wine. It wants good water retention as well.
Something that is a bit more common with the grapes grown more north as they are not used to the severe dry periods of regions where red grapes are more dominant. It is very susceptible to peronospora, oidium, berry/stem rot, Roter Brenner and phomopsis. So compared to a lot of other grape varieties there needs to be more priority on plant protection if you want your vineyard of Muller-Thurgau to last for a long time.
This is a trend that is seen a lot nowadays with new grape varieties. They are either quite susceptible to many different things or they are completely resistant to everything. The old and reliable varieties have been cultivated for such a long time and still are because the winemakers before would just stop growing them if they just had too many problems in the vineyard.
Where To Look For Muller-Thurgau
Okay, so now onto some areas and regions where I like to buy my Muller-Thurgau from. I have kind of hinted or mentioned some regions beforehand. First off is German Muller-Thurgau, quite obvious as they are the creators of it and have a really good system set in place for determining the quality before even opening the wine.
From the Mosel region in Germany the wines are more precise and highlight the slightly freshness of lemon that can be found. In Rheinhessen though is where my favourite are because they are bolder and more age worthy in my opinion. Something I value a lot when considering whether to buy a wine or not. In Australia I mentioned before that these wines are more focused on floral notes and ripe peaches. I like these a lot as well and would probably hold it as my second favourite place to buy from.
Last Words
That’s a wrap for this post about the grape variety called Muller-Thurgau. I really hope that you have learnt something by reading this post and feel more knowledgeable and confident the next time you want to buy wine. In the next post we will go over the grape called Spätburgunder. That is the same as Pinot Noir but instead what the Germans call it. Stay tuned!
