Saar
Definition - What does Saar mean?
The Saar is a tributary of the Moselle River in Germany and part of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wine region. In the region of the Saar, the vines are planted on the south-facing slopes on the side valleys. The region is cold and only the Riesling grape is able to ripen to make wines only a few times in ten years.
WineFrog explains Saar
The Saar wine region is one of the premium Riesling producing wine regions in Germany. Cultivation of wine here dates back to over 2,000 years ago. Until Napoleon conquered the region, it was under possession of the Catholic Church. He secularized the administration and many of the wineries and vineyards became private property.
Climate
The climate in the Saar region is cold and the soils mainly consist of slate. Wines in this region are relatively low in alcohol ranging from 8 to 10% ABV, but the structures of the wine are renown for racy acidity and strong notes of terroir. The acidity allows these wines to cellar for long periods, even decades.
Wine Styles
Wine styles from Saar can range from dry to sweet dessert wines. A Trocken (dry) wine can start around $18, whereas a late harvest Eiswein (Icewine) or Trockenbeerenauslese can start at a few hundred dollars and go up to $10,000. This is because such late harvests may only happen once in a decade or two.
Notable Wine-Producing Villages
The most renown wine producing villages include; Serrig, Irsch, Ayl, Saarburg, Kanzem, Wiltingen, Schoden, Ockfen and Wawern.
Notable Wine Producers in Saar
Notable producers of the region are Weingut Egon Meuller, Weingut Fortsmeister Geltz-Silliken, Schloss Saarstein and Roman Niewodniczanski.
