Grape

Spätburgunder

Q: What is Spätburgunder?

Spätburgunder is the German name for Pinot Noir. It means "late Burgundian", as distinct from its early-ripening relative Frühburgunder. You will see it spelled three ways depending on the keyboard: Spätburgunder, Spatburgunder and Spaetburgunder. It is the same grape, and on a German red it is almost always the one on the label.

Spätburgunder from Bauer in the Mosel, as red and rosé. Pinot Noir from a cool climate.

Red wine · Mosel, Germany

Spätburgunder Trocken

German Pinot Noir from the Mosel. Soft tannins, ripe cherries and forest berries. Medium-bodied, with both structure and fresh fruit.

NOK 298 at Vinmonopolet

Order from Vinmonopolet

Rosé · Mosel, Germany

Spätburgunder Rosé Trocken

Dry Spätburgunder Rosé from Brauneberg. Pale salmon, strawberry and raspberry with floral notes.

NOK 299 at Vinmonopolet

Order from Vinmonopolet

Spätburgunder

Spätburgunder is Pinot Noir from Germany

What is Spätburgunder?

Spätburgunder is the German name for Pinot Noir. It means "late Burgundian", as distinct from its early-ripening relative Frühburgunder. You will see it spelled three ways depending on the keyboard: Spätburgunder, Spatburgunder and Spaetburgunder. It is the same grape, and on a German red it is almost always the one on the label.

Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world, after France and the United States. That is not widely known, partly because the grape goes by another name there.

What does German Pinot Noir taste like?

A cool climate gives lighter body, higher acidity and more red fruit than Pinot Noir from warmer places, with alcohol usually between eleven and thirteen per cent. Served lightly chilled, around sixteen degrees, the fruit comes through more clearly.

In the Mosel, Spätburgunder grows in the same slate as Riesling. Bauer in Mülheim, a family estate since 1706, ferments the reds the classic way on the skins and ages them for a year in oak. Spätburgunder Trocken is the dry red, and Spätburgunder Rosé Trocken is the same grape with brief skin contact.

What food goes with Spätburgunder?

At the table, Spätburgunder is the red for dishes that would otherwise get a white: salmon and trout, duck, mushrooms, and meat that is not too heavy.