GERMAN WINES(3)
CHOOSING A GERMAN WINE
Various Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Producers
| Dr. Bürklin-Wolf | J.J. Christoffel |
| Freidrich Wilhelm Gymnasium | Freiherr Heyl zu Herrnsheim |
| Sybille Kuntz | Hans Lang |
| Ulrich Langguth | Prinz zu Salm |
| Schloss Lieser | Schmitges |
| Albrecht Schneider | Selbach-Oster |
| Bert Simon | Schloss Saarstein |
| Schloss Vollrads | Tesch |
| Dr. H. Thanisch | Reichsrat von Buhl |
| Baron von Heyl | Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt |
Other Notable German Producers
| Dr. Bürklin-Wolf | Karthäuserhof |
| Dr. Heinz Wagner | Klaus Neckerauer |
| Franz Künstler | Koehler-Ruprecht |
| Heyl zu Herrnsheim | Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt |
| Karlsmühle | Schlossgut Diel |
A German wine label is one of the things life's too short for, a daunting testimony to that peculiar nation's love of detail and organization.
— Kingsley Amis, Everyday Drinking
LEGAL QUALITY CODES
Germany has specific laws in place to strictly control wine quality and ensure each wine’s origin, authenticity, and style. These legal regulations standardize wine labels, and very extensive wine labels at that, with regard to:
1. Quality level classification, defined by ripeness and sugar content of the grapes at harvest.
• Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (Q.m.P.) or “quality wine with promise”: Highest classification of German wine, further categorized into the following:
o Kabinett or "Reserve wines": Elegant, slightly sweet and balanced by acidity.
o Spätlese or "Late Harvest": Picked later than Kabinett for fuller maturity; dry or sometimes mildly sweet.
o Auslese or "Select Harvest": Made only in the ripest, best years; can age up to 15 years if cellared properly.
o Beerenauslese or "Selected Berry Harvest": Sweet dessert wines made from grapes high in residual sugar in only the very best years; high priced and can age for decades.
o Trockenbeerenauslese or "Selected Dried Berry Harvest": Rare wines individually selected late-pick, “almost raisin” harvests; extremely well aging for a hundred years or more if properly.
• Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (Q.b.A.) or "Quality Wines from Specific Regions": Good quality wine from a specific region, bereich, or village.
• Tafelwein or “table wine”: Made from normally ripe grapes and often jugged for affordable mass consumption.
2. Appellation of origin
3. Vintage date
4. Town and vineyard name
5. Grape variety
6. Wine style or taste
7. Alcohol content
8. Official testing number
