The impenetrable categorization of wines

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Anyone who stands in front of the wine shelf (and does not consider themselves a connoisseur) is often quite overwhelmed. So many names! So many quality specifications! What do I have to pay attention to? What does all this tell me? When different countries have been talking shop for hundreds of years and constantly adopting new definitions with many bureaucratic rules, it is no wonder that the result is an almost impenetrable jungle.
Honestly? Often you just buy the label you like, hoping that the contents will match.
Today we want to shed some light on the matter by simplifying it a bit (please don't faint, dear experts). And for everyone else: pour yourself a large glass of wine!
Once upon a time, the Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italians said: the origin determines the wine . You can taste where it comes from, ¡Claro que sí! So if you write the region on the label, it is almost an award. That is why champagne is called that (it comes from Champagne), Chianti (because it comes from the Chianti region), and port wine is named that because it comes from Porto.
But then clever people came along and took just a little Chianti, transported it to another place and mixed it with wines that didn't even come from Chianti. Or they grew a delicious sparkling wine in the Palatinate and called it champagne. Sacrilege! In order to get to grips with this » regional fraud «, additional names were developed:
The dénomination origine controllé ( DOC ) and the dénomination originale controllé géographe ( DOCG ). The first says (to put it very simply): "I come from a certain region" (and this is also controlled), the second says: "I come from a certain location within this region " (and this is also controlled). Since the Romance languages ​​are similar, the abbreviations fortunately fit almost everywhere.
The Germans took a more analytical approach to the matter (who would be surprised?). Ferdinand Oechsle , a mechanic and goldsmith from Württemberg, made history when he invented a scale in 1836 that could determine the so-called must weight . This unit of measurement was named after him: degrees Oechsle (abbreviated to °Oe). The must weight determines (roughly speaking) how much sugar the wine contains. And since sugar is converted into alcohol, this is important information and also gives clear indications of the later quality of the wine. According to German wine law, wines are therefore defined according to Oechsle. A Kabinett wine must have at least 76° Oechsle, a Spätlese at least 90° and a Trockenbeerenauslese at least 150°.
And then the EU came along and decided to regulate and clean up the matter thoroughly so that consumers could orient themselves and European wines could be positioned more clearly in international comparison. A noble approach. We are convinced Europeans because we believe that only community makes us strong and can protect us from wars (including among ourselves). But sometimes, we admit, the bureaucracy in Brussels goes too far. For example, when there was a rule that Camembert had to be made so hygienically from pasteurized milk that it unfortunately lost all taste, there was an uprising in France (completely right, in our opinion).
But back to wine. In 2009, there was a comprehensive EU law that categorised wines uniformly and placed new emphasis on the so-called "Romanesque" principle (i.e. the location). It must be finally implemented by 2026. For us winegrowers, 17 years is about the same as a deadline of tomorrow, so many people were sweating.
We have already told you in previous newsletters that we have also placed a lot of emphasis on single-vineyard wines in recent years and that our terroir Rieslings have won a number of awards . However, for winemakers who do not have such a famous location as the Southern Palatinate, this change in the law is not necessarily a piece of cake, because even if their wines are bursting with Oechsle, they cannot simply market them in the highest category.
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Photo: gU Weyherer Michelsberg
But even we winemakers in the renowned locations cannot simply do whatever we want. Good old Oechsle is still involved in this country, and the wines have to pass many tests and analyses before they can win the new top award.
It hasn't really become that easy since then and the terms have also been translated into German, so the abbreviations mentioned above are now different. But you can remember three categories the next time you're completely overwhelmed by the German wine shelf in the supermarket:
Image: Overripe, raisin-like, dried out grapes.
  • PDO = protected designation of origin (this corresponds to the docg presented above)
    This is the crème de la crème . Within this category there are also gradations:
    A premium wine can be rated even higher within its category if, for example, the grapes come from just one vineyard. This is then a protected designation of origin from a single vineyard. The single vineyard is specifically designated. In our case, this will soon look like this on the label: » gU Weyherer Michelsberg «.
    At our winery, we only refer to the " wines with PDO from single vineyards " as premium wines . However, some gourmet wines (which are one category below for us) also belong to the PDO category (e.g. our dry Pinot Gris or the Muscat ), as the grapes are only pressed from one vineyard.
  • PGI = protected geographical indication (this corresponds to the doc presented above)
    This is the high-quality middle range (at Graf von Weyher we call them pleasure wines or Schoppen wines ). The decision as to whether a wine is a pleasure wine or a Schoppen wine then goes back to the Oechsle, which we are now familiar with: the sweeter the grape is at the time of harvest, the more likely it is to be a pleasure wine.
  • Without Designation of Origin - German Wine
    The wines for every day without a precise designation of origin.
    We do not offer this category at Graf von Weyher.
And for all the experts who are now crying out inwardly: Yes, there are many more gradations. And subgroups. And special rules. But if we list them all here, it will be a master's thesis and the confusion will be greater than the benefit. So forgive the generalization and take a good drink to console yourself. Whether it's DOCG, AOC or PDO, we leave it up to you!
Your geographically protected counts

2 comments


  • Klaus W.

    ich freue mich immer über Ihre Info-Kunden-Mails. Und da sie gut und schön getextet sind, macht es Freude sie zu lesen.
    Besonders der Herbstbrief mit der sehr poetischen Beschreibung der jahreszeitlichen Stimmung ist dem Verfasser sehr gut gelungen
    Aber auch die Informationen zum Thema Wein sind immer sehr gut formuliert und interessant zu lesen. Man lernt gern noch dazu…


  • Christian H.

    Guten Morgen,

    wir trinken nicht nur eure Weine sehr gern, auch dieser Newsletter gehört in die Premium-Kategorie: sehr lesenswert.
    (kommt selten vor)

    herzliche Grüße aus Berlin


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