Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Zum Wohl!* How to read German wine labels
Gordon Kendall
Gordon Kendall's column, "Good Libations," runs monthly in Extra. He welcomes readers' questions and comments about wine, beer or spirits.
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From time to time, consumers who enjoy sweet wines such as white zinfandel desire something more interesting. Savvy wine consultants can steer them toward a German Riesling, but the Teutonic label with its Gothic script and lengthy, unpronounceable expressions tend to make patrons hesitate.
Some German wine producers offer simpler labels, such as Relax and Polka Dot, but the standard German label contains a wealth of information, if you know how to read it.
The most prominent word on most labels is usually the name of the producer, such as Joh. Jos. Prum. This is often the name of the family who owns the vineyard or winery. Erzeugerabfullung means estate bottled, indicating that the grapes were grown and made into wine by the same firm. The name of the grape variety, such as Riesling, also will appear.
Most German wines contain the name of the village and vineyard. The town name will end with the suffix er. For example, Wehlener Sonnenuhr is from the town of Wehlen and the vineyard Sonnenuhr, which means "sundial." (The vineyard's sundial is depicted on the label.)
Germany's vineyards are some of the most northerly in the world and have some of the coldest climates. This presents challenges coaxing the grapes to optimum ripeness. This is why the classification system, instituted in 1971, focuses on the ripeness of harvested grapes.
German wine is generally broken down into four quality designations, but the two lowest, the pedestrian Tafelwein and Landwein, are rarely seen in this country.
The next classification is Qualitatswein, abbreviated QbA, for Qualitatswein Bestimmter Anbaugebiete, which means quality wines of a specified appellation. These wines are produced in a specific region, such as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, of approved grape varieties. Chaptalization, the addition of sugar, is allowed. These wines are generally simple, light and inexpensive. Wines of this level receive an A.P. number, which represents the German equivalent of approval number. This 11-digit number indicates the government center where the wine was tasted, the village and producer, as well as the year the winemaker filed his application.
The highest level of quality is Pradikatswein, which until August 2007 was known a Qualtitatswein mit Pradikat, meaning quality wine with special attributes.
Pradikatswiens are broken down into categories based on the sugar content of the grape must at time of harvest. The addition of sugar is forbidden.
The first level is Kabinett, which is composed of fully ripe grapes and made in a light, fresh style. Kabinetts usually have some sweetness because the winemaker can stop the fermentation before all of the sugar converts to alcohol or add back sweet juice that was never allowed to ferment.
The next level is Spatlese, meaning late harvested. The grapes spend extra time ripening in the autumn sun, resulting in richer, more intense flavors. Spatlese is not necessarily sweeter that Kabinett, but more concentrated and intense.
On the next rung of the ladder of Pradikatswiens is Auslese, which means "select picking." Very ripe bunches of grapes are selected and hand picked. These wines are usually sweet, but they can be dry. The word trocken on the label designates a dry wine and halbtrocken a half-dry wine.
Moving on, Beerenauslese, means select picked berries. Here, individual overripe grapes are selected and picked. These wines tend to be quite sweet and pair well with desserts.
The next level of sweetness is Eiswein, which mean ice wine. These wines can only be made under certain infrequent conditions. Sometimes the temperature drops below freezing while extremely ripe grapes are still on the vine. The vintner can get up very early in the morning, harvest these grapes and crush them while they are still frozen. The majority of water remains behind as ice crystals, resulting in opulent and sweet nectar. Yields are miniscule from this process, so the price tends to be high.
The last level is Trockenbeerenauslese, meaning select picking of dry berries. In this case, grapes that have dried and turned into raisins on the vine are picked. These unctuous wines are honeyed and thick.
You just can't beat the German system for giving you precise information, so don't fear the label.
*Cheers!
Gordon Kendall's column runs monthly in Wednesday's Extra.
