Vintage 2000 marked the advent of "Classic" and "Selection" – terms meant to simplify matters for consumers. Classic wines enable everyone to easily find uncomplicated, dry varietal wines for everyday enjoyment – reliable taste and quality at an affordable price. Selection wines are premium quality, dry varietals available in limited quantities and priced accordingly.

Winemakers in all 13 German wine-growing regions can produce these wines, provided the wines are above average in quality, harmoniously dry in taste, and made from a traditional grape variety, such as Riesling, Silvaner, Rivaner or a Burgunder (Pinot) variety. The concept is designed to impart a clear profile regarding a wine's quality and taste.

Classic wines are easy to recognize – the labels bear the Classic logo next to the name of a traditional grape variety. The name of the producer and wine-growing regions are also mentioned, but vineyard names have been deliberately omitted.

More about CLASSIC wines

German wines bearing the Classic logo on their labels have a consistently clear taste profile: they are harmoniously dry, with an ideal balance of sweetness and acidity. The residual sugar content can be twice as high as the acidity, up to a maximum of 15 grams per liter, regardless of the wine's region of origin. These proportions ensure that a wine with somewhat more acidity and somewhat more sweetness tastes as dry as a wine with a lower acidity and lower residual sugar content. Bottle for bottle, consumers can rely upon getting a wine that tastes dry and will go well with most food. Appealing..."inside and out."

The pleasant balance of residual sugar and acidity is but one of several components that contribute to the appealing style of Classic wines. It is a known fact that wines produced from riper grapes are fuller in flavor and body, i.e. that alcohol has an effect on a wine's taste and volume. The must weights of grapes from which Classic wines are produced are higher (+ 8° Oechsle) than the minimum prescribed by law – the finished wines have at least 12% alcohol by volume, thereby ensuring wines of sufficient body and substance. The minimum alcohol content of Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Classic wines is slightly lower – 11.5% by volume – a concession to tradition, so to speak, since lighter-bodied wines have long been the regional norm.

Consumers who prefer fresh young wines, as well as those who favor more mature vintages, will welcome the fact that all Classic wines are vintage dated. The first Classic wines, from the millennium vintage 2000, made their debut in 2001.

Classic wines are varietal wines typical of their region, e.g. Silvaner Classic from Rheinhessen, Riesling Classic from the Rheingau or Spätburgunder Classic from Baden. Vineyard names have been deliberately omitted, leaving labels as uncluttered – and consumer friendly – as possible.

The name of the producer must appear on the label of all quality wines. Classic wines are no exception, whether the wine was estate-bottled (Gutsabfüllung or Erzeugerabfüllung) or bottled by a commercial winery (Abfüller). In the latter case, where the grape-grower(s) and bottler of a Classic wine are not identical, all parties must conclude and register with the authorities a contract (by July 1st prior to the harvest) outlining each party's responsibilities with regard to quality, quantity, delivery, etc. Wineries and growers alike strive for long-term contracts that will be mutually beneficial and many of these working relationships have been in place, successfully, for years.

A consistently clear taste profile, above-average quality and simplified labels are the hallmarks of the concept: Classic. Taste Dry. Taste Style.

CLASSIC grape varieties

The Classic wine logo always appears on labels in conjunction with the name of a traditional grape variety. Grapes, such as Riesling or Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), instantly come to mind. Yet numerous other traditional varieties are equally well-suited for Classic wines, not least those that have long been associated with a particular wine-growing region or district. Classic wines are made exclusively from one grape variety – with one exception: a Trollinger-Lemberger cuvée is permitted in Württemberg.

During the past few years, authorities in the German states where vines are cultivated compiled lists of the grape varieties that are regarded as "traditional" in their respective states (and wine regions). These formed the basis for the final list of varieties eligible for designation as a Classic wine.

Here is a regional overview of the traditional grape varieties from which German Classic wines may be produced:

Ahr: Riesling, Spätburgunder, Frühburgunder

Baden: Riesling, Rivaner, Silvaner, Gutedel, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Franken: Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Weissburgunder, Domina, Spätburgunder

Hessische Bergstrasse: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Mittelrhein: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer: Riesling, Elbling, Rivaner, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder

Nahe: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Rivaner, Scheurebe, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, Portugieser

Pfalz: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Rivaner, Dornfelder, Spätburgunder

Rheingau: Riesling

Rheinhessen: Rivaner, Silvaner, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Riesling, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, Portugieser

Saale-Unstrut: Müller-Thurgau, Traminer, Kerner, Portugieser

Sachsen: Riesling, Traminer, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Württemberg: Trollinger, Lemberger, Schwarzriesling, Dornfelder, Spätburgunder, Riesling, Silvaner, Kerner, Grauburgunder

Note: The German word "Burgunder" denotes a member of the Pinot family, e.g. Spätburgunder (late-ripening Pinot Noir), Frühburgunder (earlier-ripening Pinot Noir), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), or Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc). Schwarzriesling and Pinot Meunier are synonyms, as are Rivaner and Müller-Thurgau.

Selection wines must meet additional quality criteria: grapes must originate from an individual vineyard site (it is named on the label) and be harvested by hand; yields are lower than prescribed by law; first release is September 1st of the year following the harvest. Because all Classic and Selection wines are harmoniously dry in style, the terms "trocken" (dry) and "halbtrocken" (off-dry) are superfluous.

More about SELECTION wines

Connoisseurs know that "Selection" signals the best of the vintage...a carefully selected, top-quality wine...an exquisite example of German winemaking skill. Taste profile: dry.

First-class vineyards (or parcels thereof), low yields, and harvesting by hand all contribute to the outstanding quality of these wines. Bottle aging is a prerequisite – Selection wines cannot be marketed prior to September 1st of the year after the harvest. All Selection wines are vintage dated.

Quality criteria for Selection wines

Wine-growers who intend to produce grapes for a Selection wine must fulfill many quality-oriented criteria. The wine's appellation of origin – a first-class, individual vineyard site (or parcels thereof) – must be registered with authorities and be clearly demarcated as a "Selection" site by May 1st prior to the harvest. The importance attributed to vineyard site acknowledges terroir – site-specific soil and microclimatic conditions – as a factor that infuences the individual character, and quality, of a wine.
The must weights of grapes from which Selection wines are produced are far higher (Auslese level) than the minimum prescribed by law, equal to a natural alcohol content of 12.2% by volume.
Yields are restricted to a maximum of 60 hl/ha.
Grapes must be selectively harvested, by hand, to weed out unripe or rotten berries.
In terms of style, Selection wines are dry, with up to 9 grams per liter of residual sugar – with one exception: Riesling wines, that are by nature rich in acidity. Here, the residual sugar content can be 1.5 times as high as the acidity, up to a maximum of 12 grams per liter. The goal is to achieve a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.

The name of the producer must appear on the label of all quality wines. Selection wines are no exception, whether the wine was estate-bottled (Gutsabfüllung or Erzeugerabfüllung) or bottled by a commercial winery (Abfüller). In the latter case, where the grape-grower(s) and bottler of a Selection wine are not identical, all parties must conclude and register with the authorities a contract (by May 1st prior to the harvest) outlining each party's responsibilities with regard to quality, quantity, delivery, etc. Wineries and growers alike strive for long-term contracts that will be mutually beneficial and many of these working relationships have been in place, successfully, for years.

Selection: premium quality, dry varietals available in limited quantities. The cream of the crop.

SELECTION grape varieties

Only the finest traditional grape varieties meet the high quality standards prescribed for Selection wines. Typical candidates, Riesling and/or members of the Burgunder (Pinot) family, are widespread in many of Germany's 13 wine-growing regions, while other grapes are considered to be traditional in a particular region or district. As such, the list of varieties that are permitted for Selection wines varies from region to region. Selection wines are made exclusively from one grape variety – cuvées of two or more varieties are not permitted. The name of the high-quality variety as well as the individual vineyard site of origin must appear on the wine's label.

Here is a regional overview of the traditional grape varieties from which German Selection wines may be produced:

Ahr: Riesling, Spätburgunder, Frühburgunder

Baden: Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Riesling, Rivaner, Silvaner, Gutedel, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder, Saint Laurent, Schwarzriesling

Franken: Riesling, Rieslaner, Silvaner, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Hessische Bergstrasse: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Mittelrhein: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer: Riesling

Nahe: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder

Pfalz: Riesling, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Gewürztraminer, Rieslaner, Chardonnay, Spätburgunder, Saint Laurent, Schwarzriesling

Rheingau: Riesling, Spätburgunder

Rheinhessen: Riesling, Silvaner, Grauburgunder, Weissburgunder, Gewürztraminer, Spätburgunder, Frühburgunder, Portugieser (The quality seal "Selection Rheinhessen" will continue to be used for the time being.) Saale-Unstrut: Silvaner, Riesling, Weissburgunder, Spätburgunder