Mosel Glossary
Abfüllung Bottling. Label designation signifying grapes, must, or wine was purchased and bottled at the domaine.
Alte Reben Old vines. An unregulated term, usually meaning the vines are between 25 and 100 years old. On the Mosel these are often ungrafted.
Amtliche Prüfungsnummer (A.P. Nummer) A number, given by the state to all QbA and Prädikatswein, which assigns a code for the region, village, producer, year the wine was tasted, and particular bottling (to distinguish, say, between different barrels, tanks, or wines from the same vineyard).
Auslese Literally “selective harvest.” It is the highest Prädikat besides the rare Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese and is normally nobly sweet, though dry and off-dry versions also exist. Auslesen are usually made from grapes affected by botrytis. On the Mosel, minimum must weight for Auslese is 88° Oechsle. Before the 1971 German Wine Law with its corresponding Prädikat system, Auslese designated that a wine was made from specially selected grape bunches, but not necessarily botrytized.
Beerenauslese (BA) The second highest Prädikat in the must-weight hierarchy, they are noble sweet wines made from predominantly botrytized grapes, with perhaps a small amount of the ripest yellow berries included. Required must weights on the Mosel are at least 110° Oechsle. Formerly, BA was defined as an Auslese of a particularly fine quality.
Bernkasteler Ring A growers’ association founded in 1899 with well-known estates from the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer that auction and present their wines together. The wines have a “Ring” logo (three bottles with a grape cluster) on either the label or capsule.
chaptalization A method of raising alcohol levels of the fermenting must by adding sugar. In Germany, a Qualitätswein (QbA) can be chaptalized but not a Prädikatswein.
Einzellage An individual single vineyard, e.g., the Juffer in the village of Brauneberg, hence Brauneberger Juffer. The Mosel has a great tradition of single vineyards, with nearly 10,000 different sites named on the labels stretching back more than a hundred years, but the number of single-vineyard designations was greatly reduced after the 1971 German Wine Law to less than 500. Many of the top sites, similar to Burgundian climats, were grouped together into official single vineyards, often including tracts of less privileged vines on flat ground. In most cases hiding behind the best-sounding name are many former sites, which were no longer allowed on the label. In recent years, there has been a counter-movement against this enduring law. Dedicated growers have begun (illegally and in rejection of bureaucratic protocol) either using these old place-names again or creating new fanciful ones in order to highlight the original best sites.
Eiswein Ice wine: a sweet Prädikatswein made from grapes that have frozen at the vine due to frost conditions. It is a natural means of concentrating the acidity, sugar, extract, and minerals by minimizing the amount of water. Must weights on the Mosel must be at least 110° Oechsle.
Erste Lage First Growth. A voluntary, sometimes controversial, VDP-only classification system intended to signify vineyards of high quality. Wines bottled as such are identifiable by the “Erste Lage” logo (a numeral “1” with a cluster of grapes) usually written on the label or embossed on a heavy bottle. On the Mosel it can be used for both Qualitäts- and Prädikatswein. The VDP’s effort to highlight the top sites is neither an official nor a comprehensive attempt at vineyard classification, because it pertains only to vineyards belonging to growers in the VDP. As with the term Grosses Gewächs (also VDP), Erste Lage remains a disputed work in progress.
Erzeugerabfüllung Label designation signifying wines bottled by the producer (includes co-operatives). A term introduced in 1971 that replaces various older variations with the same meaning, e.g., Originalabfüllung.
Fass A barrel. The traditional barrel on the Mosel is the 1,000-liter Fuder.
feinherb A relatively new tasting term on the label that many domaines use in place of halbtrocken. The legal difference is that feinherb has no residual sugar limit, meaning that the wines can extend well beyond the 18-gram limit of the halbtrocken category, and can sometimes contain over 30 grams per liter of residual sugar.
Flurbereinigung Controversial remodeling of the vineyards intended to reduce labor costs and simplify cultivation of the vineyards by restructuring the surface area and building roads in the hillsides. Usually entails grubbing up most of the old vines.
Fuder Also known as Fuderfass. The traditional Mosel barrel, approximately 1,000 liters, used for fermenting or maturing wine or both. The oak customarily comes from the local forests in the neighboring hills of the Eifel or Hunsrück.
Goldkapsel (GK) An unofficial means for producers to signify particularly special (normally riper and rarer) wines. Growers literally top the bottle with a gold (or, even a "long" gold) capsule. Used mainly for Auslesen, though some Spätlesen are “Gold Kap.”
Grosses Gewächs (GG) A designation—meaning “great growth,” a nod to the French Grand Cru— used by the VDP, and recently also the Bernkasteler Ring, to highlight the top dry wines from their members’ best sites. GGs remain a controversial, loaded topic: “top” and “best” are, of course, relative terms; consumers unfamiliar with the term might not know the wines are dry; and the insistence that the wines come in at under 9 grams of residual sugar perhaps sometimes does a disservice to wines that would benefit from more. Still, it is undoubtedly true that some of the finest dry wines in Germany now carry the GG stamp, and time will tell whether it proves an effective labeling strategy or not.
Grosslage A legally defined region consisting of a number of different villages and single vineyards (Einzellagen). Created by the controversial 1971 Law, they inherently discredit the single-vineyard culture by allowing lesser sites to be linked to place names of greater stature and quality, e.g., Piesporter Goldtröpfchen (Einzellage) and Piesporter Michelsberg (Grosslage).
Gutsabfüllung Label designation signifying wines produced and bottled at an individual estate or domaine.
Halbfuder A Mosel barrel of 500 liters.
halbtrocken “Half-dry.” Cannot be more than 18 grams of residual sugar per liter. Many growers dislike the term and have either replaced it with “feinherb” (though its definition is technically different) or done away with it altogether. Unsurprisingly, this switch has led to misunderstandings, because German wines without a designation are thought to be sweet.
Kabinett The first level of the Prädikat system, a minimum of 73° Oechsle on the Mosel. Kabinett can be dry, off-dry, or sweet. Regardless of sugar content, they are often the embodiment of easy and light (though ageworthy) drinkability. Because no maximum Oechsle and alcohol levels exist, some Kabinetts are actually (declassified) Spätlesen and Auslesen in must weight, and this bulking up (a result of climate change and evolving vineyard practices) has left many Kabinett drinkers dissatisfied. The term Kabinett, however, with its current meaning, is itself new, born of the 1971 German Wine Law. Its status was essentially pilfered from the old term “Cabinet,” which originated in the Rheingau, had no relation to must weight, and indicated instead a reserve bottling.
Keller A cellar. The Mosel is distinguished by its many deep, cool, and vaulted cellars.
Kellerei (Weinkellerei) A winery that usually buys grapes or wine from external sources and then either bottles and sells the wine on its own or sells finished wine to another party who will then market it. Though most modern-day versions are exceedingly large, there was once a tradition on the Mosel of small- to mid-sized Weinkellereien, many of which possessed their own vineyards. (They would also act as a wholesaler, i.e., buy fermented wine from small growers for maturing until ready for sale.)
Kellermeister A cellar master.
lees The sediment at the bottom of barrels or tanks made up of spent yeasts and tartrates after fermentation. Ageing on fine lees (or lees contact) offers complexity of flavor.
Lese Harvest. On the Mosel’s steep-slate sites, hand-harvesting is often the only way to pick grapes, frequently with several passages through the same vineyard.
malolactic fermentation A secondary fermentation converting stronger malic acid into softer lactic acid. Though it remains relatively uncommon on the Mosel, higher pH and ripeness levels and correspondingly longer fermentations for dry and off-dry wines have increased its frequency.
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer The former designation (now simply called “Mosel”) for the region that includes the Mosel’s two main tributaries: Saar and Ruwer.
naturrein A “naturally pure” wine, i.e., the pre-1971 term for a non-chaptalized wine, also known as Natur or Naturwein (“natural wine”). The wine also comes from the respective commune named on the label.
Neuzüchtungen New crossings. Experiments with and plantings of Ortega, Optima, Kerner, Bacchus, Faber, and many others became widespread in the 1960s and especially in the 1970s, mostly in the Nahe and Rheinhessen, but also on the Mosel. Because they have higher must weights and ripened earlier than Riesling (and did so on flatter, more manageable, but generally poorly situated sites), producers sought them out in hopes of reaching Spätlese and Auslese levels more easily. Most top producers have completely abandoned these varietals.
noble rot Also known as Botrytis cinerea. In German called Edelfäule, it is a fungus that attacks ripe white grapes, concentrating them and resulting often in luxuriously sweet, uniquely delicate Auslese, Beerenauslese, or Trockenbeerenauslese.
Oechsle German system of measuring ripeness that is indicated by the concentration of the dissolved compounds (mostly sugar) in the must. Degrees Oechsle determines Prädikat level.
Parzelle A parcel or plot within a vineyard, on the Mosel often very small (like in Burgundy or the northern Rhône). Most vineyards are split among growers, many of whom, even with holdings under 10 hectares, can have up to 100 parcels or more.
Prädikatswein Formerly called Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP). Prädikat wines, as defined by the 1971 German Wine Law, have a certain minimal level of sugar in the grapes at harvest and are not chaptalized or “concentrated.” The six Prädikat levels in ascending order of ripeness are Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and the speciality Eiswein. Pre-1971, Kabinett had no tradition on the Mosel, and Spätlese and Auslese were defined by late-picking rather than minimum Oechsle levels.
Qualitätswein Since the 1971 German Wine Law this designation—formerly known as Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)—has normally meant quality wines that have a minimum Oechsle of 55° and can be chaptalized and concentrated. The perception has long been that these wines, devoid of any Prädikat language, were the least of what a given grower had to offer. Recently, however, there have been a growing number of quasi-official designations for ambitious, unchaptalized wines (such as Grosses Gewächs) which are now registered as Qualitätswein, though they far outclass the original term’s intentions. Pre-1971, Kabinett had no tradition on the Mosel, and Spätlese and Auslese were defined by late-picking rather than minimum Oechsle levels.
Reinzuchthefen Pure culture yeasts. The opposite of wild or natural yeasts.
residual sugar (RS) Unfermented sugar in a finished wine.
Sekt Sparkling wine. Today plays a relatively minor role on the Mosel. Some growers, however, do make excellent Riesling Sekt using the traditional champagne method of provoking a second fermentation in bottle.
skin contact A traditional method that involves macerating the grapes after a light crushing and before pressing and fermentation. The aim is to increase aromatics, flavor compounds, and extract as well as reducing acidity. Also referred to as pre-fermentation maceration.
Spätburgunder Pinot Noir. A noble red grape variety that has a long tradition on the Mosel. Because of the late-19th century demand for Riesling, it quickly disappeared and was dealt a further blow when banned by the Nazis. Since 1987, the varietal has experienced a small renaissance and counts today for 4% of overall wine production.
Spätlese The Prädikat between Kabinett and Auslese, it means “late harvest.” Since 1971 Spätlese on the Mosel must have a minimum must weight of 80° Oechsle and can be fermented dry, off-dry, or sweet. Because of recent climate change and an abundance of very ripe wines, many Spätlesen can be extremely rich and taste like big Auslesen of the past. In the early 20th century, Spätlese or Auslese meant a late and a more selective picking, respectively. Today, the sweeter style is being pushed as the prototype, even though today’s Spätlesen or Auslesen with their higher residual sugar levels were non-existent a hundred years ago.
Spontangärung Spontaneous fermentation (as opposed to fermentation induced by cultured yeasts). Wines fermented spontaneously, with wild (natural) yeasts, normally have more extract, complexity of flavor, and longevity when compared with the cleaner, fruit-forward smells of selected yeasts.
stars Similar to gold capsule, and written as *, ** (or more stars) on labels, this is another internal unregulated quality distinction sometimes made by growers to distinguish various wines from the same vineyard—a special bottling. The designation is used most commonly for Spätlese and Auslese, but Qualitätswein can also receive stars. (Replaced pre-1971 distinctions such as feine or feinste Auslese.)
Süssreserve Sweet reserve is preserved grape juice that can be used to sweeten or soften wines high in acidity. The practice has long been frowned upon and avoided by serious growers.
trocken Dry. Cannot be more than 9 grams of residual sugar per liter.
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) A Prädikat level for wines made from selected shriveled grapes affected by noble rot. On the Mosel must have at least 150° Oechsle. The best TBAs are some of the sweetest (sometimes over 300 grams natural sugar) and the most expensive dessert wines in the world, often only 6-8% alcohol. In the past, a rare occurrence and a title only given to the best late-picked, specially selected berries of a particularly good year.
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V. (VDP) Prädikat Wine Estates is an elite association of German wine estates (identified on capsules or labels by a logo of an eagle with a grape cluster) formed into regional groups that market and auction their wines. The Mosel group, founded in 1908, is called the Grosser Ring. Admission and evaluation protocols remain controversial, because not all of the country’s premier growers are included.
Weinausbau All that happens from crushing and pressing to bottling.
Weingut Wine estate.
Weissburgunder Pinot Blanc. A white Burgundian grape with an old, relatively minor tradition on the Mosel, increasingly planted (though still only 2.7% of the region today) by growers who want to be able to offer a wine with less acidity than the Riesling.
Winzer (Winzerin) A wine grower.
Winzergenossenshaft Wine growers’ cooperative.
wurzelecht Ungrafted vines. In the late 19th century, phylloxera, a bug that ruined most European vineyards by attacking the roots of the vine, had a less devastating effect upon its arrival along the Mosel with its stony, steep-slate soils. Many pre-phylloxera vines survived without needing to be grafted on to disease-resistant American rootstocks, and these yield fruit with flavors more striking and concentrated than that from younger, grafted vines.