Rhineland-Palatinate
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Rhineland-Palatinate is one of 16 federal States of Germany. It has an area of 19,846 km² and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz.Agriculture and viticulture
Rhineland-Palatinate is Germany's leading producer of wine. In terms of grape cultivation as well as wine export Rhineland-Palatinate is the leading land. Its capital Mainz, with the siege of the German Wine Institute, the German Wine Fund in the Haus des Deutschen Weines (House of the German Wine), as well as the venue of the VDP Wine Bourse, which brings together the top winemakers of Germany and the wine merchants of the world, may be called the capital of the German wine.
Six out of all thirteen regulated production areas in Germany, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Nahe, Middle Rhine and Ahr are located in Rhineland-Palatinate. Due to this fact 65 to 70 % of the whole production output of wine grapes in Germany have their origin within this federal state. 13,000 wine producers generate 80 to 90% of the German wine export, which was 2.6 million hectoliters in 2003.
Traditional grape varieties as well as a wide range of varieties developed during the last 125 years are characteristic for the region. Classical white varieties are cultivated at 63,683 hectares. These comprise the famous Rieslings (14,446 hectares), Müller-Thurgau (8,663 hectares), Silvaner (3,701 hectares) and Kerner (3,399 hectares).
The share of red varieties grew constantly during the last decades and amounts to 20,000 hectares. Dornfelder, a new breed, is the leading red grape cultivated on 7,626 hectares, which is more than a third. Blauer Portugieser (4,446 hectares) and Spätburgunder (3,867 hectares) show also appreciable cultivated shares.
Beside these Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay as white varieties and Regent and St. Laurent as red varieties are increasing their share throughout the years, as the growing conditions improve in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The land supports the wine industry by providing a comprehensive consultancy and education program in the service supply centers (German: DLR) of the land. The Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding and also the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute are fully or even partially financed by the land. Many well known new breeds like Morio-Muskat, Bacchus, Optima and Regent have been created in these institutes.
The world wide leader in sparkling wine production, producing 245 million bottles in 2006, is the renowned Schloss Wachenheim Group. This company has its roots and its siege at different places in Rhineland-Palatinate and is headquartered in Trier.
Other renowned sparkling wine producers like Kupferberg, Deinhard and Henkell had also their roots in the land, but now belong to companies outside this federal state, due to business consolidation.
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