The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Shifting from the Sugar Level at Harvest to the Wine's Geographic Origin

On November 26, 2020, the German parliament passed a new wine law, which took effect on January 27, 2021. 

Importantly, the new German wine law introduces a new hierarchy to determine the quality of wine - the Romanesque model of origin. The emphasis shifts from the sugar level to the wine’s geographic origin. The bottom line is the quality promise: the narrower the geographical indication, the higher the quality. This concept follows the “terroir” principle, well-known from the classification in Burgundy and elsewhere. 

From the bottom to the top of the terroir quality ladder, the winemaking requirements are getting more demanding, in terms of grape varieties allowed, maximum yield, minimum must concentration, harvesting methods (hand versus machine) and sensory characteristics.

At the same time, the Prädikate system, based on the sugar level in the grapes at harvest - Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, ... - remains in place but has been adjusted and shifted to the backburner. 

As under the old law, the Prädikatsystem is only applicable to Qualitätswein. 

Unlike under the old law, wines with a Prädikat are sweet under the new law. Previously, wines with a Prädikat could be dry (with the adjective "trocken" added, for example, Kabinett trocken) or sweet. 

Also, the Prädikat system has lost its significance in terms of being a quality indicator. Under the new law the quality is determined by the terroir principle and at each level of quality, you can have Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese,..... Thus the Prädikat wines range from entry-level wines to ultra-premium wines. In a way, disregarding the noble-sweet Eiswein, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese wines, the Prädikat system has shifted from a quality indicator to a sweetness scale. 

The EU System

The new German wine quality system is consistent with the European Union’s three-tier quality pyramid scheme which has been in place since 2012. 

The EU distinguishes wine without a geographic designation from wine with a geographic designation. 

The latter can be either wine with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or wine with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

Deutscher Wein, Landwein, Qualitätswein

Deutscher Wein (German Wine) is at the bottom of the quality pyramid - Wine without a geographic designation.

Landwein (Country Wine) is one step up - Wine with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI, German: geschützte geografische Angabe or g.g.A.)

Qualitätswein (Quality Wine) is at the top of the quality pyramid - Wine with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO, German: geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung or g.U.)

At the lowest level of the Qualitätswein pyramid, wines from one of the 13 German Qualitätswein areas. They are different from the 26 Landwein areas. The wines can be either Qualitätswein without Prädikat or with Prädikat. 

If the label just says Qualitätswein Mosel, for example, the wine will be dry and from the Mosel area. 

If the wine is sweet, a Prädikat needs to be on the label as well indicating the level of sweetness in the wine. A Mosel Spätlese, for example, would be an entry-level fruity-sweet wine from the Mosel. 

On the label, Qualitätswein can be replaced by the indication “wine with a protected designation of origin” combined with the name of a winegrowing area

Wines in the Ortswein category must have been harvested at least at the Kabinett level in terms of sugar content (according to the Prädikat system).

The label would say, for example, Qualitätswein Hochheim. The grapes are from any of the vieyards of the village of Hochheim.

Gewann

A Gewann is a specific plot in a single vineyard. It can be considered the equivalent of the French lieu-dit. If the Gewann is included in the villages vineyard register, it can be mentioned on the label in case the grapes are all from this Gewann.  

Implementation

Take-aways

Gutswein/ Estate Wine does not exist in the Law

The term Gutswein, which is prominent in the VDP classification, does not exist in the new wine law of 2021. 

Gutswein is the entry-level wine of VDP estates, indicating that the wine is from any vineyard of the estate.  

Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are Sweet

A widesprerad believe in the USA, for example, is that Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are sweet wines. Often this is indeed the case. But it is not backed by the pre-2021 German wine law. According to the German wine law of 1971, Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are determined by the sugar content in the grapes at harvest. For all these categories the amounts of sugar in the must are such that Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are - if you let the fermentation go through - dry wines. However, German winemakers make them sweet by stopping the fermentation. 

This has now been rectified by the German wine law of 2021. The requirements for a Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese are a certain level of sugar in the grapes at harvest and a certain sugar level in the wine in the glass. Kabinett trocken, Spätlese trocken and Auslese trocken do not exist anymore.

Classified and Non-classified Vineyards

The fact that the law refers to Grosse Lage and Erste Lage vineyards implies that all single vineyards need to be evaluated and grouped into Grosse Lage, Erste Lage and others. There are old vineyard cards prepared by the Prussian tax authorities, a wealth of data at Geisenheim University and other information available. Still, it will take some time for the specially founded regional protection associations, which have been charged with that task, to agree in close consultation with stakeholders from associations and winegrowers on a classification of the vineyards in Germany.

Prädikatswein lost Superiority over Qualitätswein

Many of my American wine friends regard a Qualitätswein mit Prädikat as superior to a Qualitätswein (without Prädikat). With the move to a terroir-based quality ladder - Region, Area, Village, Singel Vineyard - and the relegation of the Prädikate system to simple indicators of sweetness, this view is no longer supported by the new German wine law. Under the new law, all wines above Deutscher Wein and Landwein will be a Qualitätswein, if they are dry, from the regional level up to the top level of single vineyard Grosses Gewächs or will be Qualitätswein mit Prädikat, if they are sweet, from the regional level up to the top level of single vineyard. Qualitätswein is at a par with Prädikatswein.