"system, most DACs have an additional ""Reserve"" designation for a wine which has slightly more strict requirements. Before the 1971 German wine law, a term corresponding to reserve wine existed in ""kabinett"", sometimes written as ""Kabinettwein"". In 1971, the similar-sounding term ""Kabinett"" was instead introduced as the lowest level of the ""Prädikatswein"" category, i.e., with a completely different meaning. Therefore, in the present German wine classification no legally defined term corresponding to reserve wine exists. Reserve wine Reserve wine is wine of a higher quality than usual, or a wine that has been aged before being sold, or both. Traditionally,"
"existing protection of geographical indication was transmitted through this step as well to the wine classification. There are two major categories of German wine: table wine and ""quality"" wine. Table wine includes the designations ""tafelwein"" and ""landwein"". These are rock bottom categories of inexpensive, light, neutral wine. Unlike the supposed equivalents of ""Vin de Table"" / ""Vino da Tavola"" and ""Indicazione Geografica Tipica"" / ""Vin de Pays"", exciting things are rarely made, production levels are not high, and these wines are typically exported to the United States. In 2005, Tafelwein and Landwein only accounted for 3.6% of total production. Quality"
"labels. In Burgundy, there are 110 appellations in an area only one-fifth the size of Bordeaux. Complicating the system is the fact that it is common for villages to append the name of their most famous vineyard to that of the village. In Spain and Portugal, the authenticity of the wine is guaranteed by a seal on the label or a band over the cork under the capsule. This is promulgated by the growers' association in each area. German wine labels are particularly noted for the detail that they can provide in determining quality and style of the wine. Almost"
"indicated by the following designations for Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein. For sparkling wines (Sekt), many of the same designations are used, but have a different meaning. There are also color designations that can be used on the label: Some producers also use additional propriate designations to denote quality or ripeness level within a Prädikat. These are out of the scope of the German wine law. Especially for Auslese, which can cover a wide range of sweetness levels, the presence of any of these designations tends to indicate a sweet dessert wine rather than a semi-sweet wine. These designations are all unregulated."
"Kabinett Kabinett (literal meaning: cabinet), or sometimes Kabinettwein (literal meaning: a wine set aside in a cabinet), is a German language wine term for a wine which is made from fully ripened grapes of the main harvest, typically picked in September, and are usually made in a light style. In the German wine classification system, Kabinett is the lowest level of ""Prädikatswein"", lower in ripeness than Spätlese. In Austria, Kabinett is subcategory of ""Qualitätswein"" rather than a ""Prädikatswein"", and the term always designates a dry wine. In the Czech Republic, Kabinet is a category of ""Quality Wine with Predicate"" (Czech:"
"of Germany, the notable exception being Mosel. Wine with very similar characteristics but made from higher quality grapes can be labeled as Spätlese or Auslese. In the U.S. and the UK, perhaps the best known example has been Blue Nun, which no longer uses the ""Liebfraumilch"" designation. While the term ""Liebfraumilch"" is associated with low quality wine, German wine classification requires it to be at the ""Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete"" (QbA) level—the second rank of four. It must also be from Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Nahe or Rheingau, the grapes used must be at least 70% Riesling, Silvaner or Müller-Thurgau, and it must"
"single variety of grape with that particular variety needing to be denoted on the wine label. ""Rotling"" refers to a rosé that is either made from multiple grape varieties that can either be all red wine varieties or a mixture of white and red grape varieties. This designation is required on all Tafelwein (table wine), Landwein (""country wine"" similar to the French ""vin de pays"") and ""Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete"" (QbA) level but its presence on the label is optional for Prädikatswein (the highest classification of German wine). In the Baden region, ""Badisch Rotgold"" is a specialty rosé made from Spätburgunder"
"""Jakostní víno s přívlastkem""). Wines of this style are usually light and dry. The term Kabinett, also known as ""Cabinet"", originally implied a wine of superior quality, set aside for later sale. It is essentially the German version of the wine term Reserve. The term originated with the cistercian monks at Eberbach Abbey in Rheingau, where the first recorded use of the term Cabinet occurred in 1712. The abbey's best wines were set aside to be stored in a special cellar built in 1245, and it was later known as the Cabinet cellar, or ""Cabinet-Keller"". Before 1971, the term Cabinet"
"the labels of their bottles from the 2001 vintage. This index is a number from 1 to 5, which is found in fine print as ""Indice 1"" to ""Indice 5"" on the label, typically next to the alcoholic content. The index is assigned based on an overall impression of the wine, and has the following meaning: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Domaine Zind-Humbrecht is a winery located in Turckheim, Alsace, France. The domaine was created in 1959, following the marriage of Léonard Humbrecht to Geneviève Zind. The Humbrecht family has a history of winegrowing since 1620. The domaine is currently mostly managed by"
"of historical vineyards known as ""Ortsteil im sinne des Weingesetzes"" (village name in sense of the wine law). Examples are Schloss Johannisberg in Rheingau and Scharzhofberg along the Saar. They are of the same size as a typical Einzellage and could be thought of as Einzellagen which were so famous that they were excused from displaying the village name. A German wine label can offer a wealth of information for the consumer, despite the reputation they traditionally have of confusing laymen. Jon Bonné, MSNBC Life Style editor describes German wine labels as a """"thicket of exotic words and abbreviations"""" that"
"have residual sugar. Liebfraumilch Liebfraumilch or Liebfrauenmilch (, in reference to the Virgin Mary) is a style of semi-sweet white German wine which may be produced, mostly for export, in the regions Rheinhessen, Palatinate, Rheingau and Nahe. The original German spelling of the word is ""Liebfrauenmilch"", given to the wine produced from the vineyards of the ""Liebfrauenkirche"" or ""Church of Our Lady"" in the Rhineland-Palatinate city of Worms since the eighteenth century. The spelling ""Liebfraumilch"" is more common on labels of exported wine. The generic label ""Liebfraumilch"" is typically used to market vintages from anywhere in most of the major"
"a few other wines are also auctioned, depending on the region. The German wine classification system lends itself to differentiation of wines, especially sweet wines, according to quality level. This has most likely contributed to the tradition of producing small lot wines resulting from extreme selection, which is a tradition hardly found anywhere else in the wine world. The wines put up for auction belong in most Prädikat levels, but are usually given the additional designation ""Goldkapsel"" (Golden capsule) to show that they are ""extra good"", and small sticker announces that the bottle was sold at a particular auction. (To"
"which are slightly more stringent than those set down in the German wine law. VDP members may (and almost always do) use the VDP logotype, a stylized eagle with a cluster of grapes, on their wine bottles. Also, the members have access to the new VDP-specific classifications ""Erste Lage"" and ""Grosses Gewächs"" for top dry wines that fulfill the requirements. VDP and its regional associations also arrange German wine auctions and various marketing events. Especially in the Mosel region, where the regional VDP association is known as ""Grosser Ring"", several well-renowned wine estates are instead members of ""Bernkasteler Ring"", which"
"Liebfraumilch Liebfraumilch or Liebfrauenmilch (, in reference to the Virgin Mary) is a style of semi-sweet white German wine which may be produced, mostly for export, in the regions Rheinhessen, Palatinate, Rheingau and Nahe. The original German spelling of the word is ""Liebfrauenmilch"", given to the wine produced from the vineyards of the ""Liebfrauenkirche"" or ""Church of Our Lady"" in the Rhineland-Palatinate city of Worms since the eighteenth century. The spelling ""Liebfraumilch"" is more common on labels of exported wine. The generic label ""Liebfraumilch"" is typically used to market vintages from anywhere in most of the major wine growing areas"
"require """"the vinous equivalent of Cliff notes to parse."""" German wine law regulates that at least six items of information be present on the label. German wine domaines/""châteaux"" are often called ""Kloster"", ""Schloss"", ""Burg"", ""Domaine"" or ""Weingut"" followed by some other name. The first number (1-9) relates to the German wine region where the wine was produced and tested ""(e.g. 3-Rheingau)"". The second 2 or 3 digit number indicates the village of the vineyard ""(e.g. 30-Rauenthal))"". The next two digits represents the particular wine estate ""(e.g. 50-Kloster Eberbach)"". The following 2 to 3 digit number is the sequential order that"
"Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (often abbreviated to QWpsr or simply ""quality wines"") is a quality indicator used within European Union wine regulations. The QWpsr category identifies wines with protected geographical indications. The European Union regulates and defines the status of ""quality wines"" according to production method, management and geographical location. Its original, fundamental role is in differentiating quality wines from table wines, broadly in line with the system traditionally employed by the French government, amended to account for the preferences and methodology of Italian and German growers, among others in the EU."
"the wine was submitted by that producer for testing ""(e.g. 031 - this was the 31st wine submitted by Kloster Eberbach for testing)"". The final two digits is the year of the testing, which is normally the year following the vintage ""(e.g. 04 - the wine was tested in 2004)"". Though not required, German wine labels may also include In recent years, the official classification has been criticised by many of the top producers, and additional classifications have been set down by wine growers' organisations such as VDP, without enjoying legal protection. The two main reasons for criticism are that"
"Each of these wines is made of 100% Riesling and is classified into three categories: ‘Handstreich’, ‘Felsenspiel’ and ‘Meisterstück’. The categories are distinguished by their sensory features, their residual acidity-to-sugar-ratio, and the volume of alcohol. German wine classification The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented per the German Wine Law of 1971. Almost all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen ('individual sites'), and the produce from one can be used to make German wine at any quality level, depending not on yields"
"the bottle type is actually called ""vin du Rhin"", i.e., ""Rhine wine bottle"". Without being mandated by law, this bottle format is also common and traditional in many German regions, particularly for Riesling and other traditional white wine varieties. There are two late harvest classifications, Vendange Tardive (VT) and Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN). ""Vendange Tardive"" means ""late harvest"" (which in German would be ""Spätlese""), but in terms of must weight requirements, VT is similar to Auslese in Germany. ""Sélection de Grains Nobles"" means ""selection of noble berries"", i.e. grapes affected by noble rot, and is similar to a German"
"label wines of better quality ""Gewürztraminer"" and wines of lesser quality ""Traminer"" or ""Klevener de Heiligenstein"", regardless of the final composition of Gewürztraminer, Savagnin rose and/or Traminer in the wine. In 1973, the names Traminer and Savagnin Rose was discontinued from use on Alsatian wine labels. Due to the significant and early plantings of Savagnin rose in Heiligenstein and the villages around it, the wine style of ""Klevener de Heiligenstein"" was granted its place however. Klevener de Heiligenstein does have some similarities to wines made from its cousin grape, Gewürztraminer. Both can produce dry wines with a slight spicy flavor"
"wines at higher Prädikat levels tends to vary from year to year depending on vintage conditions, and all wines with higher designations sell at a premium price. As the sweet wines were more favoured at the time of the scandal than they have been in the 1990s and 2000s, and since the Prädikat designations were almost universally recognized throughout the German-speaking countries, a cheap Auslese or Beerenauslese was often identified as a ""bargain"" by many German consumers. Many of the cheap sweet wines exported from Austria were blends from different grape varieties, and several of them did not carry any"
"German idea of labeling wines using varietal (""Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Riesling"") rather than semi-generic names borrowed from famous European regions (""Burgundy, Chablis, Rhine"", etc.). Robert Mondavi was one of the first to label the majority of his wines by varietal names and was tireless in promoting the practice. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the quality of some vintners' wines was outstanding but few took notice. On May 24, 1976, a blind tasting was held in Paris with a panel made up exclusively of French wine experts. After comparing six California Chardonnays with four French Chardonnays, three of the"
"the decrease. Alsace is known for being the only French wine-growing region with a long practice in varietal labeling, which was a German tradition long before varietally labelled New world wines scored considerable export success. However, under appellation rules, not all varietal-sounding names on labels need to correspond to a single grape variety. Only one varietal label may be used on a wine, and a blend may not have more than one varietal name on the label. Almost all Alsace wine is produced under one of the region's three AOC designations—Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru and Crémant d'Alsace. Unlike most other"
"German wine classification The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented per the German Wine Law of 1971. Almost all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen ('individual sites'), and the produce from one can be used to make German wine at any quality level, depending not on yields but on the ripeness, or must weight of the grapes. In a country as far north as Germany, the ripeness of grapes varies tremendously and profoundly affects the types of wine that can be produced."
"The ripeness categories are referred to as ""quality levels,"" which is a misnomer - ripeness is always a clue to a wine's body, but not necessarily a predictor of its quality. Also, ripeness is determined by sugar content at harvest and does not reflect the sugar content in the final wine. Thus a wine in any of the German categories can be dry (trocken) or fairly dry (halbtrocken.) The quality system of wines has been reorganized since 1 August 2009 by the EU wine market organization. The traditional German wine classification was superseded by an origin-related system (Terroir). The already"
"name within the European Union, describing a red Bordeaux wine, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of the term. ""Claret"" is occasionally used in the United States as a semi-generic label for red wine in the style of the Bordeaux, ideally from the same grapes as are permitted in Bordeaux. The French themselves do not use the term, except for export purposes. The meaning of ""claret"" has changed over time to refer to a dry, dark red Bordeaux. It has remained a term associated with the English upper class, and consequently appears on bottles of"
"slightly less controversial, Austrian ""Qualitätswein"" (literally ""quality wine"") is tested for typicity with the classification printed on the wine label. As a concept, typicity relies on both historical precedent and a sentiment of what the present-day majority view how a certain variety should “taste”. This can be considered a subjective and unreliable way to measure wine, opening the door to elitism with what has been criticized by some, such as Sean Thackrey, as ""viticultural racism"". Typicity Typicity (French ""typicité"", Italian ""tipicità"") is a term in wine tasting used to describe the degree to which a wine reflects its varietal origins"
"wineries that have not changed their label's design in over 60 years, as in the case of Château Simone, while others hire designers every year to change it. Labels may include images of works by Picasso, Chagall, and other artists, and these may be collector's pieces. The elegance of the label does not determine the wine's quality. Instead, it is the information contained within the label that can provide consumers with such knowledge. Most New World consumers, and increasingly European consumers, prefer to purchase wine with varietal labels and/or with brand name labels. A recent study of younger wine drinkers"
"produce well-balanced wines of concentrated flavours rarely exceed 50 hl/ha. Many wines in Germany are produced using organic farming or biodynamic methods. Chaptalization is allowed only up to the QbA level, not for ""Prädikatswein"" and all wines must be fermented dry if chaptalised. To balance the wine, unfermented grape juice, called Süssreserve, may be added after fermentation. German wine classification is sometimes the source of confusion. However, to those familiar with the terms used, a German wine label reveals much information about the wine's origin, minimum ripeness of the grapes used for the wine as well as the dryness/sweetness of"
"very crisp and dry to well-balanced, sweet and of enormous aromatic concentration. While primarily a white wine country, red wine production surged in the 1990s and early 2000s, primarily fuelled by domestic demand, and the proportion of the German vineyards devoted to the cultivation of dark-skinned grape varieties has now stabilized at slightly more than a third of the total surface. For the red wines, Spätburgunder, the domestic name for Pinot noir, is in the lead. Germany produces wines in many styles: dry, semi-sweet and sweet white wines, rosé wines, red wines and sparkling wines, called Sekt. (The only wine"
"Second wine Second wine or second label (French: ""Second vin"") is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from ""cuvee"" not selected for use in the ""Grand vin"" or first label. In some cases a third wine or even fourth wine is also produced. Depending on the house winemaking style, individual plots of a vineyard may be selected, often those of the youngest vines, and fermented separately, with the best performing barrels being chosen for the house's top wine and the other barrels being bottled under a separate label and sold for"
"the wine. Ripeness Classifications of German wines (any grape variety): In general, the ripeness classifications of German wines reflect minimum sugar content in the grape (also known as ""potential alcohol"" = the amount of alcohol resulting from fermenting all sugar in the juice) at the point of harvest of the grape. They have nothing to do with the sweetness of the wine after fermentation, which is one of the most common mis-perceptions about German wines. On wine labels, German wine may be classified according to the residual sugar of the wine. Trocken refers to dry wine. These wines have less"
"and ""Sekt b.A."" (""bestimmter Anbaugebiete"", in parallel to ""Qualitätswein b.A."") only from grapes from one of the 13 quality wine regions in Germany. Some of the premium wines are often made using the Riesling, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris and Pinot noir grapes, with much of it drunk locally rather than exported. These Sekts are usually vintage dated with the village and vineyards that the grapes are from. Premium Sekt b.A. produced in smaller lots is often referred to as ""Winzersekt"" (winegrower's Sekt), since it is typically produced by a producer which has vineyards of his own, rather than by the"