''Liebfraumilch'' or ''Liebfrauenmilch'' (, in reference to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

) is a style of semi-sweet white

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 Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Pala ...

which may be produced, mostly for export, in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

s Rheinhessen, Palatinate,

Rheingau The Rheingau (; ) is a region on the northern side of the Rhine between the German towns of Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the Western Taunus to the Rhine. It is situated in the German state of Hesse and is part of the Rhein ...

, and Nahe. The original

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

city of

Worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. It had ...

since the eighteenth century. The spelling ''Liebfraumilch'' is more common on labels of exported wine.Wein-Plus Glossar: ''Liebfrauenmilch''
read on January 24, 2013

Classification

The generic label ''Liebfraumilch'' is typically used to market vintages from anywhere in most of the major wine growing areas 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 US and the UK, perhaps the best known example has been

Blue Nun Blue Nun is a German wine brand launched by the company H. Sichel Söhne (Mainz) in 1923 with the 1921 vintage, and which between the 1950s and 1980s was a very popular international brand. For most of its existence, Blue Nun was a single Germ ...

, which no longer uses the ''Liebfraumilch'' designation. The term ''Liebfraumilch'' is associated with low quality wine, and, consequently, the German wine classification requires it only to be at the ''Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete'' (QbA) level—the third rank out of ten. However, it must also be from Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Nahe, or Rheingau, and the grapes must be at least 70%

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

Silvaner Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. While the Alsatian versions have primarily been considered simpler wines, it was included among the vari ...

, or

Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. '' Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madelein ...

, and it must have

residual sugar The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, whi ...

. German wine is classified roughly into ten categories: ''Tafelwein'' (dining wine), ''Landwein'', QbA (as mentioned above), followed by QbP (with predicate), followed by ''Kabinett'', ''Spätlese'' (late harvest), ''Auslese'' (special selection), ''Beerenauslese'' (lit. berry selection), and ''Trockenbeerenauslese'' (dry berry selection). Somewhat apart sits the ''Eiswein'' (ice wine), which is generally understood to be at least on par with the ''Beerenauslese'', but helped with both Botryitis (as is the ''Beerenauslese'') in conjunction with natural cryo extraction (icewine grapes have to be processed at -7 °C). Overall, these quality levels are following extract per litre measures (density levels) as these are indicative of sugar levels. Blue Nun, as a result, sits at level 1 out of 8 and, despite its international success, is rarely considered in the domestic market.

In popular culture

When a rack of wine topples over in the 1932 Hollywood film '' Downstairs'', the wine cellar caretaker Otto (

Otto Hoffman Otto F. Hoffman (May 2, 1879 – June 23, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1915 and 1944. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California, from lung cancer. Hoffman's Broadway credit ...

) laments a broken bottle of ''Liebfrauenmilch'', very likely to be a subtle joke. In the book ''Desert Solitaire'', by

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include '' Desert S ...

, the author stops at a liquor store to purchase a bottle of liebfraumilch on his way to Mount Tukuhnikivatz. In the episode of Only Fools and Horses, "Dates", Del Boy mentions to the matchmaker that he would like a "refined" woman that can tell the difference between "Liebfraumilch and a can of Tizer".

References

External links

Valckenberg company history
{{Authority control German wine German words and phrases