From: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski)
Subject: Re: 3 German wine recommendations?
Reply-To: winalski@adserv.enet.dec.com (Paul S. Winalski)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, Nashua NH
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 23:35:22 GMT


In article <11052@arccs1.fed.FRB.GOV>,
m1rts00@fed.frb.gov (Robert T. Semon) writes:
|>
|>This discussion about German wine "Pradikats" is very helpful to me in sorting
|> out the various styles of product available.  I seem to recall that Johnson,
|> in the Wine Atlas, describes the actual regulations that govern labelling of
|> German wines as categorizing them by must weight (I think that means sugar
|> content), rather than by how the grape is harvested.  All QmP wines are
|>unchaptelized, so the sugar concentration is that which occurs naturally in
|>the juice.  Can anyone shed more light on the act

Germany revamped its wine labeling laws in 1971.  The basic information that
the label must carry are:

	wine quality level
	geographical designation
	producer

If the label names a vintage year, all of the wine must be from that year's
harvest.

All grapes must come from the geographical area that is designated.  This may
be a general wine region [e.g., Rhein], a subregion (bereich) (e.g., 
Bereich Bernkastel], a town name and associated vineyard group (grosslage)
[e.g., Zeller Schwartze Katz], or a town name and an individual vineyard
(e.g., Hattenheimer Wisselbrunen).

If the label names a grape variety, most of the grapes must be of that variety.
I think the percentage is at least 70% or 80%.

The wine quality levels from lowest to highest are:

TAFELWEIN (table wine).  I think this at most can carry a region designation.
It's not allowed to mention an individual vineyard.

LANDWEIN (wine from a designated area).  This must carry a region designation,
and I think it may be allowed to carry a Bereich designation.

QbA (quality wine from specified areas).  The full name is "Qualitaetswein
bestimmten A...." (the "A" word is some long German word meaning rougly "area").
This must carry a vintage designation.  The geographical designation must be
one of the "quality wine areas", which are subregions of the larger wine areas
for Tafelwein and Landwein, and which have different names.  For example, the
"Rhein" region for Landwein overlaps the quality regions Rheinhessen,
Rheinpfalz, and Rheingau.  There are standards for the minimum must weight
(specific gravity) of the grape juice before fermentation.  This is a rough
measure of the sugar content of the must.  I think QbA wines also have to pass
a tasting panel.  The designation "Liebfraumilch" is allowed for wine
made from grapes harvested in the Rheinhessen, Rheinpfalz, Rheingau, or Nahe
that meets the QbA standards.

QUALITAETSWEIN MIT PRAEDIKAT (QmP) (quality wine with special attributes).
The geographical designation must be at least a Bereich, but it's usually
either a Grosslage or single vineyard.  The grape juice must meet minimum must
weight standards for the special attribute (Praedikat) level designated on
the label.  Addition of sugar to the must is not permitted.  The wine must pass
a tasting panel, which will grant it a registration number called the A.P.
number, and this number must appear on the label.

Except for Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, the minimum must weight
required for a particular Praedikat designation vary according to the region
and the grape variety.  Grapes for Auslese from the Rheinpfalz must achieve a
higher must weight than Auslesen from the Rheingau.  All Beerenauslese must
have a must weight of at least 120 degrees Oeschle (specific gravity 1.120),
and a Trockenbeerenauslese must have a must weight of at least 150 degrees
Oeschle (specific gravity 1.150).

The Praedikat levels are:

KABINETT (reserve)

SPAETLESE (late harvest)

AUSLESE (select harvest) - The selection is of the ripest grape bunches,
often partially affected by noble rot.

BEERENAUSLESE (berry select harvest) - Only those parts of bunches affected by
noble rot are chosen.  Noble rot is required to get the requisite must weight.

TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE (dried berry select harvest) - Only grapes shriveled up by
noble rot are chosen.  These wines may still be 30% sugar by weight after
fermentation.

EISWEIN (ice wine) - Grapes are harvested after a frost has frozen them on
the vine.  The grapes are pressed while still frozen.  The must has to be of
at least Beerenauslese must weight.  The freezing has the effect of removing
much of the water (which forms ice crystals) from the must, thereby increasing
the must weight without the need for noble rot.


The label laws also set standards for the terms Trocken (dry) and Halbtrocken
(half-dry).  Trocken wines contain no residual sugar at all.  Halbtrocken wines
must be under a designated percentage of residual sugar (which is 1% or 2% or
something like that).


Geographical designation is one of the trickier parts of the wine law for the
consumer.  Single vineyard wines have two-part names consisting of the town
name followed by the vineyard name.  So for example, Forster Jesuitengarten is
wine from the Jesuitengarten vineyard in the town of Forst.  Now the fun starts.
Vineyards are grouped into entities called Grosslagen.  These also appear on
the label with the name of the town followed by the name of the Grosslage, e.g.,
Forster Mariengarten.  How does one know that Mariengarten is a big group of
vineyards, and that Jesuitengarten is a single vineyard?  You can't tell just
by the form of the name--you have to know which are which.  To further add
confusion, a few very famous vineyards are allowed to leave the name of the town
off their labels.  Thus, Schloss Johannisberg gets to call its wines simply
"Schloss Johannisburger" rather than "Winkeler Schloss Johannisburg".  Ditto
for Scharzhofburg and Josephhof.  It can get pretty confusing.

--PSW
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