W3 Wine School

Liebfraumilch (Germany)

Liebfraumilch is a semi-sweet white wine from the German wine regions Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Nahe, and Rheingau.

Flavors

Citrus
Citrus
Pear
Pear
Apple
Apple
Apricot
Apricot
Grape Juice
Grape Juice
Flowers
Flowers
Honey
Honey
Spices
Spices

Citrus, Pear, Yellow Apple, Red Apple, and Grape Juice are typical Liebfraumilch flavors.

With added Honey, Spices and Floral notes.

Profile

Liebfraumilch is a light semi-sweet wine with 18-40 g/l residual sugar.

SUGAR:Off - Dry
BODY:Medium - Light
FRUIT:Medium -Light
ACIDITY:Medium
Temperature Serving temperature:
6-8°C (43-46°F)

Food Pairing

Aperitif
Aperitif
Sandwitch
Sandwitch
Crab
Seafood
Sushi
Sushi
Salads
Fruit Salad
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit Cake
Fruit Cake
Soft Cheese
Soft Cheese

Leibfraumilch pairs best with Seafood light Cuisines.

Excellent Pairings

Aperitif. Cocktail.
Fruity Hors d’oeuvres. Sandwiches.
Fruity Seafood or Poultry Salads.
Onion and Potato Salads.
Honey‐baked Ham. Honey-glaced Salmon.
Quiche. Salmon Mousse.
Fruit Tart. Fruit Salads.

Cheeses

Sharp Cheese.
Munster. Époisses. Langres.
Hard Cheese.
Cantal. Cheddar. Parmesan.

German Specialities:
Cheese Platter with freshly sliced Apple and Pear.

About Liebfraumilch

Leibfraumilch is typically mild, semi-sweet, and low in alcohol.

The dominant grape is Müller-Thurgau, but Riesling and Silvaner is also used.

Most Liebfraumilch is made for export. It is not very poular in Germany.

The German name is Liebfrauenmilch, from the first wine produced in the vineyards of the Liebfrauenkirche (Our Laydy's Church) in the city of Worms in Rheinhessen.

QbA

German wine classification requires Liebfraumilch to be a QbA wine (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete).

It must be from Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Nahe, or Rheingau.

The grapes must be at least 70% Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, or Silvaner and residual sugar must be 18–40 grams per litre.

The Rhine Renaissance

More than 100 years ago, the banks of the river Rhine produced some of the best wines in the world.

Then came 3 disasters: World War I, World War II, and Liebfraumilch.

Postwar economics opened a mass marked for cheap and sweet wines like Liebfraumilch, Blue Nun, Black Tower and Goldener Oktober.

Many of these wines were made of Müller-Thurgau grapes and souped up with added unfermented sweet grape juice.

This gave Germany a bad reputation for producing only sweet an simple wines.

In the 1980's, some Rheinhessen producers decided that the Rhine region could do much better. Led by Weingut Keller and Weingut Wittmann, they focused on dry wines to suit changing consumer tastes.

Over the last decades the Rhine region has elevated wine quality to a complete new level, producing world-class white wines, including some of the best dry Rieslings in the world.

Brazilian Favorite

Liebfraumilch is the oldest wine brand in Brazil. Thanks to a low price and low alcohol it is accessible to all as a table wine perfect with fish and light cuisines.

Brazilian Liebfraumilch is made from Riesling grapes first imported from Germany by a group of immigrants in 1910.


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