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Prädikat
The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented by the German Wine Law of 1971. Nearly all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen ('individual sites'), and the produce from any vineyard can be used to make German wine at any quality level, as long as the must weight of the grapes reaches the designated minimum level. As the current German system does not classify vineyards by quality, the measure of wine ’quality’ is the ripeness of the grapes alone. Approximately 200 wine makers have been organised since 1910 in the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). To counter the shortcomings of the 1971 law, the VDP nowadays classifies the best vineyards by its own rules into 'VDP.Grosse Lage' (Cru (wine)#Premier cru, Grand cru) and 'VDP.Erste Lage' (Cru (wine)#Grand cru, Premier cru) based on 19th century Prussian tax maps. Most of these w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
German Wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Celts and Ancient Rome, Roman eras. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions (''Anbaugebiete'') for quality wine are situated. Germany has about 104,000 hectares (252,000 acres or 1,030 square kilometers) of vineyard, which is around one tenth of the vineyard surface in Spain, France or Italy. The total wine production is usually around 10 million hectoliters annually, corresponding to 1.3 billion bottles, which places Germany as the Wine#Producing countries, ninth-largest wine-producing country and seventh by export market share in the world. White wine accounts for almost two thirds of the total production. As a wine country, Germany has a mixed reputation internationally, with some consumers on the export markets associating Germany with the world's most ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V. or the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates, is an association of more than 200 wineries in Germany that promotes binding quality standards and – since 1990 – also ecological management of its members' wineries. Many of Germany's top wine producers are members. It is commonly known by its abbreviation VDP. History It was founded in 1910 as ''Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer e.V.'', Association of German Natural (i.e. not chaptalized) Wine Auctioneers. Founding members were the four regional associations * Association of Natural Wine Auctioneers of the Rhine Palatinate, founded in 1908 * Rheingau Vineyard Owners Association, founded in 1897 in Rüdesheim on the Rhine * Trier Association of Vineyard Owners of Mosel, Saar and Ruwer, founded probably in 1910 * Association of natural wine auctioneers in Rheinhessen, founded in 1910. It consists of 11 regional associations, one for each region in the German wine class ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auslese
''Auslese'' (, ; plural form is ''Auslesen'') is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the '' Prädikatswein'' category of the Austrian and German wine classification. Harvest The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn (late November-early December), and have to be hand-picked. Generally Auslese wine can be made in only the best harvest years that have been sufficiently warm. A small proportion of the grapes may be affected by noble rot in some regions although this never dominates the character of the wine. Rheingau winemaker Schloss Johannisberg is generally credited with discovering Auslese wine in 1787. Auslesen are sometimes considered a German dessert wine, especially the wines made from botrytis infected bunches, though it is not as sweet as Eiswein, Beerenauslese (BA), or Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) dessert wines. Auslesen can be enjoyed by themselves (''aperitif'' – an "afternoon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spätlese
(literal meaning: "late harvest"; plural form is ''Spätlesen'') is a German wine term for a wine from fully ripe grapes, the lightest of the late harvest wines. ''Spätlese'' is a riper category than Kabinett in the '' Prädikatswein'' category of the German wine classification and is the lowest level of ''Prädikatswein'' in Austria, where Kabinett is classified in another way.Wines from Austria: Quality Designations in Detail , accessed on May 19, 2008 In both cases, ''Spätlese'' is below Auslese in terms of ripeness. The grapes are picked at least seven days after normal harvest, so they are riper an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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.Wines from Austria: Quality Designations in Detail , accessed on May 21, 2008 In the , Kabinet is a categ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mosel (wine Region)
Mosel () is one of 13 German wine regions (''Weinbaugebiete'') for quality wines (''Qualitätswein'', formerly ''QbA'' and ''Prädikatswein''), and takes its name from the Mosel River (; Luxembourgish: ''Musel''). Before 1 August 2007 the region was called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but changed to a name that was considered more consumer-friendly. The wine region is Germany's third largest in terms of production but some consider it the leading region in terms of international prestige.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition, pp. 264-265. Abbeville Press 2003 . The region covers the valleys of the rivers Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer from near the mouth of the Mosel at Koblenz and upstream to the vicinity of Trier in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The area is known for the steep slopes of the region's vineyards overlooking the river. At 65 ° degrees incline, the steepest recorded vineyard in the world is the ''Calmont'' vineyard located on the Mosel and belo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaptalization
Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal. This process is not intended to make the wine sweeter, but rather to provide more sugar for the yeast to ferment into alcohol. Chaptalization has generated controversy and discontent in the French wine industry due to advantages that the process is perceived to give producers in poor-climate areas. In response to violent demonstrations by protesters in 1907, the French government began regulating the amount of sugar that can be added to wine. Chaptalization is sometimes referred to as enrichment, for example in the European Union wine regulations specifying the legality of the practice within EU. The legality of chaptalization varies by country, region, and even wine type. In general, it is legal in regions that produce grapes with low sugar content, such a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anbaugebiete
German wine regions are classified according to the quality category of the wine grown therein: '' Tafelwein, Landwein, Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete'' (QbA) and '' Prädikatswein''. The wine regions allowed to produce QbA and Prädikatswein are further subdivided into four categories according to size: ''Anbaugebiet'' (a major wine region), ''Bereich'' (a district within the wine region), ''Großlage'' (a collection of vineyards within a district) and ''Einzellage'' (a single vineyard).J. Robinson (ed). ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition p. 309. Oxford University Press 2006 . A small number of ''Einzellagen'' do not belong to a ''Großlage'' and are called "großlagenfrei", but all belong to a Bereich and Anbaugebiet. The 13 major wine regions (''Anbaugebiete'') are Ahr, Baden, Franconia, Hessische Bergstraße, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Palatinate, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, Saxony, and Württemberg. With the exceptions of Saxony and Sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beerenauslese
''Beerenauslese'' () is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine with noble rot. Beerenauslese is a category in the '' Prädikatswein'' category of the Austrian and German wine classifications, and is a category above Auslese. Beerenauslese wines, often called "BA" for short, are usually made from grapes affected by noble rot, that is " botrytized" grapes. The grapes for ''Beerenauslese'' wines are those that have been individually picked. These wines are typically very sweet and rich, and most age very well. The finest Beerenauslese wines are generally considered to be made from the Riesling grape variety, as this retains significant acidity even with the extreme ripeness, which results in a wine where the sweetness is balanced and which has great longevity and which often will improve for decades. These wines are produced in very small quantities when the weather is suitable for the noble rot to form and only in vineyards with appropriate conditions, so they tend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Harvest Wine
Late harvest wine is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. ''Late harvest'' is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been naturally dehydrated while on the vine. Botrytis cinerea, or ''noble rot'', is a mold that causes grapes to lose nearly all of their water content. Wines made from botrytis-affected grapes are generally very sweet. Noble rot Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that affects many wine grapes and causes them to shrivel into moldy raisins. The fungus responds to the humidity and warmth in the climate and attacks the grapes. As the mold penetrates the skin its spores begin to germinate, causing the water inside to evaporate and the grape to dehydrate. With the absence of water, the sugar becomes more concentrated and the botrytis begins to alter the acidity within the grape. Typically botrytis infection begins to take place in late September and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eiswein
Icewine (or ice wine; ) is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been Freezing, frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing for a more concentrated grape juice to develop. The grapes' must is then pressed (wine), pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet juice. With icewines, the freezing happens before the fermentation (wine), fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines are made, such as Sauternes (wine), Sauternes, Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, icewine grapes should not be affected by ''Botrytis cinerea'' or noble rot, at least not to any great degree. Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity arises for an icewine harvest, which in extreme cases can occur after the New Year, on a northern hemisphere calendar. This gives icewine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
