German wine labels are full of letters and terms that confuse rather than clarify. Yet behind them lies a clear system: the VDP classification, Germany’s answer to the Burgundy hierarchy. From entry-level to top vineyard: once you’ve cracked the code, you’ll see Germany in a whole new light.
Text: Château Petri | Image:
German wine is on the up, yet for the average wine drinker it is tricky to choose the right wine from our eastern neighbour. This is because the label often features terms that say something about the style of wine and on the ripeness of the grapes. This causes confusion. Unless you choose a bottle with an eagle on the cap – the symbol of the VDP.
Because then there’s a very good chance you’ll be pouring quality into your glass. The approximately two hundred members of this association have been working according to the terroir philosophy since 1926. They are therefore a major source of inspiration for the new German wine law, which aims to put an end once and for all to the persistent image of sweet, low-quality wines from the 1970s.
A turbulent history of wine
German wine history has had its ups and downs. It has meandered from Roman monastic wines to top-quality aristocratic wines, after which standards dropped to cheap and sweet wines, only to rise again to produce the finest modern terroir-driven quality wines.
By the eighteenth century, German Riesling was already renowned for its high quality. This was also the period when the names of many famous vineyards were officially registered. They gained international prestige: top wines from the Mosel and Rheingau cost more than wines from Bordeaux and were prized collectables amongst British aristocrats. However, inflation and political chaos, wars, and a prolonged economic crisis between 1900 and 1945 severely damaged the sector. To turn the tide, the introduction of the 1971 Wine Act led to a shift towards mass production. Simple sweet wines such as Liebfraumilch were produced, with the focus on the sugar content of the juice: the sweeter it was, the more one earned per kilo of grapes. This damaged the image of German wine as a quality product. It was not until 1980 that a new generation of winemakers began to prioritise quality once again. See also the article on page 44.
The focus is now shifting towards precision viticulture and single-vineyard wines, or single vineyards. The VDP system, comprising Gutswein, Ortswein, Erste Lage and Grosses Gewächs (GG), forms the basis (see box). Climate change also plays a major role. Wine is produced from grape varieties originating from southern European wine-growing regions. In particular, the German ‘Spätburgunder’ – the same grape as the French ‘Pinot Noir’ – can now rivale the finer Burgundies.
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