German Wine Laws Flashcards
German Wine Terms
einzellagen - single vineyard, of which there are about 2,600
anbaugebiet - wine growing regions, of which there are 13. Anbaugebiet is always indicated on the label of QbA and Prädikatswein.
bereich -district, of which there are 39. Each Anbaugebiet is divided into one or more Bereiche.
Grosslage/Großlage - a collective site, which is a collective name for a number of single vineyards, and which number about 170. The names of Großlagen and Einzellagen are always used together with the name of a wine village, because some Einzellage names, such as Schlossberg (castle hill) are used in several villages.
Erstes Gewächs (first class growth) - a designation used only in Rheingau for top-level dry wines from selected sites.
VDP Terms:
Grosses Gewächs (great growth) - a designation used by VDP members in all regions except Mosel and Rheingau to designate top-level dry wines from selected sites. Used by the organisation Bernkasteler Ring for the same purpose in Mosel.
Erste Lage (first class site) - a designation used by VDP to denote selected sites suitable for Erstes Gewächs and Großes Gewächs wines. Also used by VDP in Mosel in conjunction with a Prädikat to design top-level wines from these selected sites. Erste Lage QbA is used for the dry wines.
Must Weight per Prädikat
(Dependent on grape variety and wine-growing region)
Kabinett - 67-82°Oe (Mosel: 70°Oe / Rheingau: 73°Oe) - 7% Min Alc
Spätlese - 76-90°Oe (Mosel: 76°Oe / Rheingau: 85°Oe) - 7% Min Alc
Auslese - 83-100°Oe (Mosel: 83°Oe / Rheingau: 95°Oe) - 7% Min Alc
Beerenauslese, Eiswein - 110-128°Oe (Mosel: 110°Oe / Rheingau: 125°Oe) - 5.5% Min Alc
Trockenbeerenauslese - 150-154°Oe (Mosel: 150°Oe / Rheingau: 150°Oe) - 5.5% Min Alc
This does not necessarily determine the sweetness of the final wine, because the winemaker may choose to ferment the wine fully or let some residual sugar remain.
Sweetness Level
(The sugar content in the finished wine can be indicated by the following designations for QbA and Prädikatswein.)
Trocken - dry - Low Acid: 4 grams per liter / High Acid: 9 grams per liter
Halbtrocken - half-dry - Low Acid: 12 grams per liter / High Acid: 18 grams per liter
Feinherb - off-dry - Unregulated designation, slightly sweeter than halbtrocken
1) Lieblich, Mild, restsüß - all three are semi-sweet & 2) süß (suss) or edelsüß (edelsuss) - both are sweet - Usually not specially marked as such on the label. Follows by default from their Prädikat in the absence of the above designations.
Prädikat System Terms
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) (quality wine from a specific region) - Must be from one of the 13 Anbaugebiete, region must be on the label; grapes are of low ripeness, must weight is between 51-72Oe, alcohol must be at least 7%; chaptalization is often used. Can range from dry to semi-sweet with style indicated on label with Qba and region. Some will be QbA and would qualify as Prädikatswein.
Prädikatswein (quality wine with specific attributes) - this is the top level of German wines and will display the Prädikat, which indicates the ripeness level and cannot be chaptalized. These may range from dry to intensely sweet and will always contain a noticeable amount of RS. Must be from the valid varieties of the 39 Bereich of one of the 13 Anbaugebiete - the region is mandatory, not the subregion.
Other information:
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) and Prädikatswein (formerly Qualitätswein mit Prädikat) represent the two tiers of German “quality” wine; however, the combined categories comprise nearly 95% of each vintage, and even Liebfraumilch is considered QbA in quality. Both categories can only be produced in one of Germany’s 13 anbaugebiete. Prädikatswein is at the apex of Germany’s legal quality pyramid, and wines in this category are further labeled by the following levels (Prädikats): Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and Eiswein. The Prädikat level is determined by the level of sugars in the grape at harvest, measured by degrees according to the Öchsle scale. Each anbaugiete has its own minimum requirements for each authorized grape; thus, the minimum required for each Prädikat level is expressed as a range.
Pradikat Levels
Kabinett - literally “cabinet”, meaning wine of reserve quality to be kept in the vintner’s cabinet. Fully ripened light wines from the main harvest, typically semi-sweet with crisp acidity, but can be dry if designated so.
Spätlese - meaning “late harvest”. Typically half-dry, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett. Picked at least 7 days after normal harvest, so they are riper, risks include crop loss by rain, in warm years and from good sites much of the harvest can reach Spätlese level. Spätlese can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated so. While Spätlese means late harvest the wine is not as sweet as a dessert wine, as the “late harvest” term is often used in US wines.
Auslese - meaning “select harvest”. From very ripe, hand selected bunches, typically semi-sweet or sweet, sometimes with some noble rot character. Sometimes Auslese is also made into a powerful dry wine, but the designation Auslese trocken has been discouraged after the introduction of Grosses Gewächs. Auslese is the Prädikat which covers the widest range of wine styles, and can be a dessert wine.
Beerenauslese - meaning “select berry harvest”. From overripe grapes individually selected from bunches and often affected by noble rot, making rich sweet dessert wine.
Eiswein (ice wine) - From grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine, making a very concentrated wine. Must reach at least the same level of sugar content in the must as a Beerenauslese. Classic Eiswein uses only grapes that are not affected by noble rot. (Until the 1980s, the Eiswein designation was used in conjunction with another Prädikat (which indicated the ripeness level of the grapes before they had frozen), but is now considered a Prädikat of its own.)
Trockenbeerenauslese - meaning “select dry berry harvest” or “dry berry selection”. From selected overripe shrivelled grapes often affected by noble rot making extremely rich sweet wines. (“Trocken” in this phrase refers to the grapes being dried on the vine rather than the resulting wine being a dry style.)
Other Information:
The Prädikat level is determined by the level of sugars in the grape at harvest, measured by degrees according to the Öchsle scale. Each anbaugiete has its own minimum requirements for each authorized grape; thus, the minimum required for each Prädikat level is expressed as a range. There is no maximum, and grapes harvested at higher must weights may be “declassified” to a lower Prädikat—a common phenomenon in the warmer vintages of recent years, when many Riesling grapes picked at Spätlese ripeness have been released as Kabinett instead. Prädikatswein must carry a minimum alcohol level of 7% (5.5% for Beerenauslese, TBA, and Eiswein wines) and winemakers may not chaptalize at this level. Prädikatswein must also carry an Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (AP Number), a series of five sets of numbers indicating that the wine has been approved by a tasting panel. In the series, the first number refers to the region where the wine was tested, the second set of numbers refers to the commune in which the wine was bottled, the third set of numbers is the bottler’s code, the fourth set of numbers is a unique code for the bottling, and the final two numbers indicate the year in which the application was filed.
13 Anbaugebiete
- Mosel - third largest in production
- Rheingau - one of the smallest and most important
- Rheinhessen - largest production by volume of Qualitatswein
- Nahe - small wine-growing region
- Pfalz - second largest of the 13 Anbaugebeite regions
- Baden - southernmost of Germany’s 13 Anbaugabeit and also the warmest
- Franken - one of the most unique regions in the country
- Ahr
- Mittelrhein
- Hessische-Bergstrasse
- Württemberg
- Sachsen
- Saale-Unstrut
VDP
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) -
A German association of producers committed to top quality founded in 1910 as the Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer.
The organization originally strove to promote unchaptalized “natur” wines, principally through wine auctions. When the 1971 Wine Law abolished the use of the term “nature” and created the category of QbA, for which chaptalization is legal. The organization rewrote its internal constitution to promote superior standards while respecting new labeling laws, and changed its name to the VDP.
Today, the VDP counts 200 of Germany’s finest estates as members, and promotes their wines through an extralegal, tiered hierarchy and a more restrictive classification of einzellagen than the government provides, as spelled out in the 2002 VDP Accord and subsequent revisions. VDP Classification (2012 forward) and corresponding maximum yields
- Grosse Lage: “Grand Cru” Wines (max. 50 hl/ha)
- Erste Lage: “Premier Cru” Wines (max. 60 hl/ha)
- Ortswein: Village Wines (max. 60 hl/ha)
- Gutswein: Regional Wines (max. 75 hl/ha)
VDP - Weingut Bruder Dr. Becker
VDP Terms:
Grosses Gewächs (great growth) - a designation used by VDP members in all regions except Mosel and Rheingau to designate top-level dry wines from selected sites. Used by the organisation Bernkasteler Ring for the same purpose in Mosel.
Erste Lage (first class site) - a designation used by VDP to denote selected sites suitable for Erstes Gewächs and Großes Gewächs wines. Also used by VDP in Mosel in conjunction with a Prädikat to design top-level wines from these selected sites. Erste Lage QbA is used for the dry wines.
Other information:
Charta
In 1984, a separate organization called Charta was formed to advance the classic, dry style of Rheingau Riesling. Charta wines, distinguished by an icon of three Roman arches—styled from the balcony of Graue Haus, in Winkel—represented the first major attempt by producers to validate dry wines within a system that only rewards sugar. Charta did not have as significant of an effect as its founders may have wanted, and today only a handful of producers remain committed to the concept. However, the core belief in the quality and tradition of dry wines found a new sponsor, the VDP, who merged Charta’s promotion of dry Riesling with a renewed emphasis on terroir and vineyard site as a measure of quality.
Pradikatswein, Landwein & Sekt
Landwein and Deutscher Wein
Below the Prädikatswein wine category are two types of table wine: Landwein and Deutscher Wein (known as “tafelwein” until 2009). Neither is regularly exported. Landwein is a superior table wine from one of nineteen regions, and must be trocken or halbtrocken in style.
Deutscher Wein
Deutscher Wein is produced in the following seven regions: Rhein-Mosel, Oberrhein, Neckar, Albrechtsburg, Stargarder Land, Bayern, and Niederlausitz. It must be 100% German in origin, or a statement must be included on the label naming the countries that contribute to the blend. In keeping with new EU allowances for table wines, Deutscher Wein may state the variety on the label.
SEKT
Most Sekt, or German sparkling wine, is made at the Deutscher Wein level of quality, and is produced by the Charmat method. When comprising only German grapes, it may be labeled “Deutscher Sekt”. Sekt may labeled as QbA if it is produced from traditional grapes grown in one of the thirteen anbaugebiete of Germany.
German Wine Laws - 20th Century
By the 1960s, there were over 30,000 different vineyard sites throughout West Germany—a major impetus for the vineyard reorganization and registration mandated by the German Wine Law of 1971. 30,000 einzellagen (vineyards) were condensed in bureaucratic fashion into 2,600 registered vineyards, each with a minimum size of 5 hectares. There are only a few exceptions to this mandated minimum size today, including the Doctor vineyard in Bernkastel—whose three proprietors successfully petitioned to have the expanded boundaries shrunk to around eight acres in 1984—the Kirchenstück and Freundstück vineyards in Forst, and the Schloss Vollrads ortsteil vineyard in Rheingau. The model of must weight as a precondition for quality, codified in the 1971 law, finds precedence in wine ordinances dating to the 1830s. The “discovery” of Spätlese harvesting dates to 1775, when harvesters at Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau found that, despite their appearance, grapes afflicted with Edelfäule (noble rot) made pretty good wine. The estate followed with the introduction of the Auslese category in 1787.
Erste Lage and Grosses Gewachs
Background
Prior to the 2012 vintage, Erste Lage wines represented the top tier of the VDP quality pyramid. “Erste Lage” translates to “first site”, and usage of the term was reserved by the VDP for Germany’s finest single vineyard sites. All wines at this level of quality carry a specialized logo—a “1” followed by a cluster of grapes. They were the product of grapes harvested by hand at a maximum yield of 50 hl/ha, and at a minimum must weight equivalent to Spätlese. If dry, the wines are denoted by the initials “GG” (Grosses Gewächs), whereas lusciously sweet wines are labeled by traditional Prädikat levels. Grosses Gewächs wines are legally considered trocken, and may not contain more than 9 g/l of residual sugar. In the Rheingau, Grosses Gewächs wines frequently carry the alternative label of “Erstes Gewächs”, a trademarked term established by Charta. While “Grosses Gewächs” is barred by German wine law from appearing on wine labels—hence its indication by initials—“Erstes Gewächs” is a legally authorized term, and it may be spelled out in full. Grape varieties approved for Erste Lage wines vary according to each anbaugebiet, but there is a clear emphasis on Riesling—55% of VDP estate vineyards are planted to the grape. Grosses Gewächs white wines may not be released before September 1 of the year following the harvest; red wines receive an additional year of aging. Erste Lage wines labeled by Prädikat may be released as soon as May 1 of the year following the harvest. The einzellage must be listed on the label—in the style of the Grand Crus of Burgundy, the village name is dropped—and the vineyard site must be approved by the VDP. While a site may be recognized by both the German Wine Law and the VDP, the VDP’s demarcation is often much narrower, representing a return to pre-1971 vineyard boundaries. For example, the 1971 law established the area of the Saarburger Rausch vineyard in the Mosel anbaugebiet at 16 hectares, but only 8 hectares are classified as Erste Lage. Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck in the Rheingau includes over 26 hectares according to the law, but a mere 6.9 hectares qualifies for the more severe Erste Lage designation.
