Germany

Question 1

Sekt Overview

Answer 1

• German word for sparkling wine
• 90% of production is inexpensive, high volume “Sekt” category
• 5 categories of Sekt
• carbonation not permitted for any category

Question 2

Sekt

Answer 2

• 90%
• Tank method wines
• no mention of grape variety or vintage
• typically sourced from inexpensive regions in Southern Europe and made sparkling in Germany
• can only be sold 6 months after second fermentation has been started
• minimum 90 days on lees or 30 if stirred
• light intensity fruit and no autolytic notes
• Brut or Extra Brut with noticeable RS and medium acid

Question 3

Deutscher Sekt

Answer 3

• must be German grown fruit
• tank or traditional method
• vintage or NV
• one variety or multiple; if one must be 85% of stated variety
• cannot state region of origin on label

Question 4

Deutscher Sekt bA

Answer 4

• bA = “of a defined region”
• must be from one of the 13 defined growing regions in Germany
• name of the region must be on label
• tank or traditional method

Question 5

Winzersekt

Answer 5

• winzer = “winegrower”
• a sparkling wine that is estate bottled
• uses only grapes from the estate
• traditional method only
• minimum 9 months on the lees
• typically Riesling
• vintage, grape variety and producer’s name must be on the bottle
• high acid
• Brut

Question 6

Perlwein

Answer 6

• commonly known as Secco
• is a separate category from Sekt
• made by tank or carbonation and usually have less than 3 atmospheres of pressure
• cheap and often sweeter than Sekt

Question 7

Sekt - Tank Method Winemaking

Answer 7

• first fermentation at low temperatures to retain freshness
• wines are blended to ensure consistency across batches and within the style of the brand
• second fermentation in tanks
• higher quality wines are aged on the lees for 3-6 months

Question 8

Sekt - Traditional Method Winemaking

Answer 8

• used with Riesling or Champagne varieties
• Usually no MLF with Riesling as most producers want to focus on the floral apple and lemon notes
• Per the above time on the lees may be the minimum of 9 months
• If longer aging than 9 months, an attractive “smoky” note rather than the typical biscuit/broiche aroma of Champagne develops
• Mature sweet Riesling can be used for the dosage

Question 9

Sekt Requirements/Law

Answer 9

• Carbonation not allowed
• minimum abv of 10%
• minimum CO2 pressure of at least 3.5 atmospheres
• wines sold as varietal or vintage must be 85% of that variety and/or vintage
• Tank Method Sekt: minimum 90 days on the lees (or 30 days if stirred)
• Traditional Method Sekt: minimum 9 months on the lees

Question 10

Flaschengarung / Klassische Flaschengarung labelling terms

Answer 10

“bottle fermented” (could be transfer method)

“classic bottle fermented” (transfer method not allowed)

Question 11

VDP Sekt

Answer 11

• fruit must be grown on the estate of a VDP member and be produced specifically for Sekt production
• fruit must be picked early, by hand, whole cluster pressed, and made by traditional method only
• 2 tiers:
  1) minimum 15 months on the lees
  2) single vineyard and minimum 36 months on the lees