German Wine Law Flashcards
What does VDP stand for?
Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter
What is the purpose of the VDP?
a national German association of producers committed to top quality
When was the VDP established?
1910
What is the EEC?
European Economic Community
-Predecessor to the EU
-Founded in 1957
-extended to wine in 1970
What is the Goldkapsule?
Historically used to Indicate a higher level of sweetness and distinction beyond a wine’s labeled Prädikat
-in 1971 German wine law banned the use of terms like feine, feinste and hochfeine (historically added to indicate reserve wines within a larger category)
What does Goldkapsule indicate?
It is code to indicate a higher level of sweetness
-also linked to the level of botrytis
-i.e. if a wine that reached Beerenauslese according to law, may be “declassified” to Auslese with a Goldkapsule becuse it showed more pure varietal character than the higher Pradikat would typically demonstrate
What is the second code that was developed in the Mosel?
The star system
-this helped distinguish among different tiers of wine within a Pradikat and from the same vineyard
What is the star system? Where is it used?
A system that helped distinguish among different tiers of wine within a Pradikat and from the same vineyard.
The Mosel
-To indicate reserve bottlings, producers may apply one to three stars (, **, **).
What was the most damaging aspect of the 1971 wine law in Germany?
Annihilate many of the country’s Einzellagne (individual vineyard sites)
What did the 1971 German wine law do to the individual vineyard sites in Germany?
The law compacted the number of recognized single vineyards from 30,000 to around 2,700.
-Set a minimum five-hectare size for single vineyards
-Created a new category called grosslagen to identify “collective vineyard sites”
