Lost in Translation?

A couple weeks ago I was at a German wine tasting sponsored by Wines of Germany. It featured 36 wineries from most of Germany’s major wine regions and showcased winemakers of the so-called next generation – those under 35-years-old.

The afternoon had a more than a few surprises for me – the biggest of which had to do with the names of certain grapes in German. I started the afternoon trying whites, so when I read Weissburgunder on a label, drawing on my high school German, I silently translated that to White Burgundy, which made me think it might be a blend of grape varieties that grow in Burgundy.

Boy was I surprised when I tasted it and realized it was a Pinot Blanc. Who knew? I guess I always assumed that most winemakers simply used the French (or Italian – or at least some phonetically similar) name for the most well-known grape varieties. Well, that’s not the case in Germany.

Another example you’re likely to see is Grauburgunder – that’s Pinot Gris! The other white grapes commonly used in Germany – Riesling, Rivaner, Silvaner, Kerner, Bacchus, and Scheurebe – are called the same in German and English.

Similarly, on the red side, Pinot Noir is called Spätburgunder and Pinot Meunier is Schwarzriesling in German. The other red grapes commonly used in Germany – Dornfelder, Portugieser, Trollinger, Regent, and Lemberger – are called the same in German and English.

So, next time you see a Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder, or Schwarzriesling on a German wine list – you’ll have to do your own translation!

2 thoughts on “Lost in Translation?

  1. Chrystal

    Interesting! I really thought that the names of grapes were like species names, were in latin and common to all. This qualifies as the “most interesting thing” i’ve learned all week.

    • Yes — like species names — good way of putting it! Glad you found it interesting… I certainly did.

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