Germany

| Ahr | Baden | Franken | Hessische Bergstrase | Mittelrhein | Mosel | Nahe | Pfalz | Rheingau | Rheinhessen | Saale-Unstrut | Saxony | Württemberg |

  • The German wine regions are some of the most northerly in the world
  • Wine is primarily produced in the southwest of Germany, along the Rhine River and its tributaries
  • The rivers have significant microclimate effects to moderate the temperature
  • The soil is slate in the steep valleys, to absorb the sun’s heat and retain it overnight
  • Eighth largest wine-producing country in the world for which white wine accounts for almost two thirds
  • Overall nearly 135 grape varieties may be cultivated in Germany – 100 are released for white wine production and 35 for red wine production
  • Riesling grape variety is the best known white
  • For the red wines, Spätburgunder (aka Pinot Noir), is the lead grape
  • Produces wines in many styles: dry, semi-sweet and sweet white wines, rosé wines, red wines and sparkling wines, called Sekt  (fortified wine not commonly produced)
  • The most distinctive characteristic of German wines is the high level of acidity in them (caused by the lesser ripeness of the northern climate and grape selection)
  • The wine regions allowed to produce QbA and Prädikatswein are further subdivided into four categories in descending order of size:
  1. Anbaugebiet (a major “quality” wine region)
  2. Bereich (a district within the wine region)
  3. Grosslage (a collection of vineyards within a district)
  4. Einzellage (a single vineyard)

A small number Einzellagen do not belong to a Grosslage and are called “grosslagenfrei” (but all belong to a Bereich and Anbaugebiet)

Label Alert:

  1. German bulk wines can have labeling terms Leibfraumilch or Hock. The difference is that Leibfraumilch is QbA, where Hock doesn’t have to be QbA.
  2. The term Classic  indicates a quality dry wine
  3. The term  Selection indicates a dry white wine made from riper grapes (equivalent to Auslese)

German wine classification:

  • Classification is based on several factors, including region of origin, whether sugar has been added, and the ripeness of the grapes
  • Two main criticisms are that the official classification does not differentiate between better and lesser vineyards and that the quality levels are less appropriate to high-quality dry wines
  • The 1971 German wine law defines four overall quality categories:

Deutscher Tafelwein (German table wine)

  • Equivalent to vin de table
  • Produced exclusively from allowed German-grown grape varieties in one of the five Tafelwine regions Region or subregion must be indicated on the label
  • Grapes must reach a must weight of 44°Oe on the Oechsle scale (5% potential alcohol) in most regions
  • The alcohol content of the wine must be at least 8.5% by volume, and concentration or chaptalization can be used to reach this level
  • They must reach a total acidity of at least 4.5 grams/liter
  • Tafelwein (without “Deutscher”) can be a so-called Euroblend, a table wine made from grapes grown in several European countries

 

Deutscher Landwein (German country wine)

  • Equivalent to vin de pays (introduced with the 1982 harvest)
  • Regulations are similar to those for Deutscher Tafelwein
  • Must come from one of the 19 Landwein regions
  • Grapes must reach 0.5% higher potential alcohol
  • The wine must be dry (trocken) or off-dry (halbtrocken) in style (may not be semi-sweet)

 

Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete, QbA (quality wine from a specific region)

  • Produced exclusively from allowed varieties in one of the 13 wine-growing regions (Anbaugebiete)
  • Region must be shown on the label
  • Grapes must reach a must weight of 51°Oe to 72°Oe depending on region and grape
  • Alcohol content of the wine must be at least 7% by volume (chaptalization is allowed) QbA range from dry to semi-sweet
  • Only Qualitätswein plus the name of the region, rather than the full term Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete is found on the label

 

Prädikatswein, recently renamed from Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP)

  • Top level of the classification system
  • These prominently display a Prädikat from Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese on the label
  • May not be chaptalized
  • Prädikatswein range from dry to intensely sweet
  • Prädikatswein must be produced from allowed varieties in one of the 39 subregions (Bereich) of one of the 13 wine-growing regions (it is the region rather than the subregion which is mandatory information on the label)
  • The required must weight is defined by the Prädikat
  • The alcohol content of the wine must be at least 7% by volume for Kabinett to Auslese, and 5.5% by volume for Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslese

 

Prädikat designations:

  • Different Prädikat designations differ in terms of the required must weight and the sugar content of the grape juice
  • The level required is dependent on grape variety and wine-growing region and is defined in terms of the Oechsle scale

Prädikat designations in order of increasing sugar levels in the must:

 Kabinett

  • Fully ripened light wines from the main harvest
  • Typically light body, semi-sweet with high acidity, and green fruit, but can be dry if designated

 

Spätlese

  • Meaning “late harvest”
  • Typically semi-sweet, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett
  • Citrus and exotic fruit
  • Can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated
  • Not as sweet as a dessert wine

 

Auslese

  • Meaning “select harvest”
  • Made from selected very ripe bunches or grapes
  • This is the highest category for a dry white
  • Typically semi-sweet or sweet, sometimes with some noble rot character
  • Sometimes made into a powerful dry wine, but the designation Auslese trocken has been discouraged (now called Grosses Gewächs)
  • The Prädikat designation which covers the widest range of wine styles (can be a dessert wine)

 

Beerenauslese

  • Meaning “select berry harvest”
  • Made from individually selected overripe grapes often affected by noble rot
  • Makes rich sweet dessert wine

 

Trockenbeerenauslese

  • Meaning “select dry berry harvest” or “dry berry selection”
  • Made from selected overripe shrivelled grapes
  • Often affected by noble rot making extremely rich sweet wines

Eiswein (ice wine)

  • Made from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine (very concentrated wine) Reach at least the same level of sugar content in the must as a Beerenauslese
  • Most classic Eiswein style is to use only grapes that are not affected by noble rot