Re: OK, so WTF with German wine classification?
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 4:28 pm
David, forget about Classic and Selection. That you see it anymore at all surprises me because I NEVER EVER EVER see wine labeled like that in Germany anymore. Dead. Charta? Also pretty much dead -the new VDP system effectively replaces all of that and almost every great Rheingau estate (and a lot of very-less-than-great Rheingau estates) are in the VDP. Georg Breuer is one of the few glaring exceptions.
Yes, some non-VDP producers will probably continue with Spätlese Trocken etc. (and so will VDP member Koehler-Ruprecht because they like to make dry Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese from the Kallstadter Saumagen every year and their customers have come to expect it –but they are an anomaly) Starting in vintage 2012, VDP members (other than K-R) have agreed not to use Prädikat for dry wines. Like the other David points out: for Gutsweine, some Feinherb-styled wines will probably continue to be made from regions like the Nahe, Mosel, and Rheingau where market demand (mostly export) exists.
It is interesting that Austria doesn't have these classification problems despite the German language barrier. Granted, Riesling plays a very small role in regard to quantity there. Alsace gets criticized a lot for the role that sweetness plays in its wines though. What is really interesting is that hardly anyone complains about not knowing what to expect from a bottle of Loire Chenin Blanc.
Cheers,
Bill
Yes, some non-VDP producers will probably continue with Spätlese Trocken etc. (and so will VDP member Koehler-Ruprecht because they like to make dry Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese from the Kallstadter Saumagen every year and their customers have come to expect it –but they are an anomaly) Starting in vintage 2012, VDP members (other than K-R) have agreed not to use Prädikat for dry wines. Like the other David points out: for Gutsweine, some Feinherb-styled wines will probably continue to be made from regions like the Nahe, Mosel, and Rheingau where market demand (mostly export) exists.
It is interesting that Austria doesn't have these classification problems despite the German language barrier. Granted, Riesling plays a very small role in regard to quantity there. Alsace gets criticized a lot for the role that sweetness plays in its wines though. What is really interesting is that hardly anyone complains about not knowing what to expect from a bottle of Loire Chenin Blanc.
Cheers,
Bill