Riesling Glossary

Abfüller

Bottler.

Abfüllung

Bottling. See also Erzeugerabfüllung

Alte Reben

German for 'old vines'.

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (A. P. Nr.)

German for 'official assessment number'. Every QbA or QmP (since 2007 called "Prädikatswein") gets an AP No. after passing an analytical and sonsorical test (by the individual German state governments).

Edelfäule

German for 'noble rot', the good form botrytis cinerea, a fungus which pierces the grape's skin. Water evaporates, leaving intensely concentrated flavors.

Erzeugerabfüllung

Estate-bottled. Guarantee that the wine was bottled by the same producer or co-operative who also grew the grapes.

Einzellage

German for 'single vineyard'.

Federspiel

Style of wine in Austria's Wachau region. The grapes must have a minimum ripeness level of 83° Oechsle and the wine must have between 11-12.5% alcohol. It may not be chaptalized.

Feinherb

Literally "subtly dry", denotes an off-dry wine with hints of sweetness. Used by some estates instead of the term "halbtrocken".

Flurbereinigung

"Flur" in German refers to any area that has been agriculturally used, "bereinigung" means reassessment. During the 2nd half of the 20th century, uneconomically steep vineyards were given up, others were made more accessible and some were swapped between growers to create more contiguous parcels.

Fuder

Large (1,000 l) wooden barrel, used in Germany's Mosel region. Usually old wood and lined with tartrates as to not impart any wood flavors into the wine.

Grosslage

German for 'large area', consisting of various single vineyards (Einzellagen). Wine with a Grosslage appellation can be made from any grapes within that Grosslage, often resulting in fairly bland wine. The term was established in Germany's wine law of 1971 and has been much debated ever since, because the deceptive naming of some mediocre Grosslagen (e.g. the Grosslage "Piesporter Michelsberg" can easily be mistaken as a superior single vineyard site such as "Piesporter Goldtröpfchen" by consumers.

Gutsabfüllung

German for estate-bottled.

Halbtrocken

Literally "half dry", denotes an off-dry wine with hints of sweetness.

Kabinett

One of the 6 German categories of a Prädikatswein (aka Qualitätswein mit Prädikat). Kabinett wines are light in style and typically have a low alcohol content. They can be dry or slightly sweet.

Landwein

Designation created in Germany in 1982 as a steppingstone between the lowest wine category Tafelwein and the Qualitätsweine. Landwein must come from one of the designated Landwein regions, it must have at least a half percent more alcohol than simple Tafelwein and must be dry of off-dry. Chaptalization is allowed.

Lieblich

Literally "mellow", denotes an off-dry wine with hints of sweetness. Used by some estates instead of the term "halbtrocken".

Lay

Old German name for slate, often found as a word ending in German vineyard names where the soil is prodominantly slate (e.g. "Pündericher Marienburg Falkenlay")

Prädikatswein

New name of the German wine category formerly known as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP), starting with the 2007 vintage. See Qualitätswein mit Prädikat

Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)

German category of wine, literally 'quality wine of a specified region'. A QbA wine must come from one of the 13 German wine regions, i.e. grapes from different regions can not be blended. A certain ripeness level is stipulated for each region, but wines may be chaptalized to increase the level of alcohol.

Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP)

The highest category of wine in Germany, literally 'quality wine with distinction', the distinction based on the ripeness level of the grapes at harvest. In ascending order of sweetness these are Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese (BA), Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). As of the vintage 2007 the term has been changed from QmP to Prädikatswein.

Smaragd

Distinction for the best wines in Austria's Wachau region. The wine must have a minimum of 12.5% alcohol. It may not be chaptalized.

Spätlese

One of the 6 German categories of Prädikatswein (aka Qualitätswein mit Prädikat). Literally "late harvest", meaning that the grapes for Spätlese wines have been picked after harvest for Kabinett wines. Sugar levels will have increased during the additional hang time, which translates into a fuller wine. Spätlese wines can be dry (with higher alcohol levels of 12-14%) or sweet, in which case the alcohol level will be lower (around 8-11%).

Steinfeder

The lightest of three wine style categories in Austria's Wachau region. Required must weight of the grapes is between 75° - 83° Oechsle. Maximum alcohol level is 11%. It may not be chaptalized. Named after a grass that is growing inbetween the vines.