New Vintage of Germany’s Highest Quality Wines Makes its Debut
Berlin…..For the sixth consecutive year, the Prädikat Wine Estates invited the wine world to Berlin on 1 September for the annual market release of Germany’s highest quality wines – ERSTE LAGE.
Small Quantities – Great Wines
At this year’s presentation in Berlin, some 144 ERSTE LAGE wines from 78 VDP estates made their debut. ERSTE LAGE wines account for 1.5% of the Prädikat Wine Estates’ overall production. The member estates jointly cultivate nearly 4,000 ha/9,884 acres, or about 4% of Germany’s total vineyard area. Slowly but surely, the number of VDP estates that are willing to accept the challenge of producing wines that qualify for the peak position at the top of the VDP classification pyramid has increased. In doing so, they must adhere to very stringent quality criteria and controls.
Wines of this quality need aging. As such, the market release for ERSTE LAGE white wines is 1 September the year following the harvest and for reds, a year thereafter. Here, too, the Prädikat Wine Estates are setting a standard for a new era of wine culture.
VDP ERSTE LAGE Wines – Germany’s “Grands Crus”
The finest vineyards of Germany, traditional grape varieties, very gentle vinification and strict controls are the foundation upon which ERSTE LAGE wines are built. They are handcrafted wines that genuinely reflect their origin, and result from the creative symbiosis of the visions of the winemaker and the individuality of the vineyards.
ERSTE LAGE can be recognizied by the logo – a cluster of grapes next to the numeral “one” – embossed on the bottle or printed on the label. The dry wines are designated “Grosses Gewächs” (Rheingau: “Erstes Gewächs”) and, as of vintage 2006, they will have a maximum residual sugar level of nine grams per liter, in keeping with the legal definition of “trocken” (dry) wines in Germany. The sweeter wines bear Prädikats, such as Spätlese and Auslese. For every vineyard, every region defines which taste profile(s) are optimal for reflecting a vineyard site’s terroir.
Ongoing Development of Classification
At the Berlin presentation, Steffen Christmann, the newly elected president of the Prädikat Wine Estates, commented: “With ERSTE LAGE, German wines have succeeded in numbering among the top growths of the world. At the same time, our classification of the finest vineyard sites helps contribute to the preservation of Germany’s unique viticultural landscape and counters the ‘fast wine’ philosophy.
“Naturally, the realization of our classification agenda by 2015 at the latest will require some fine-tuning. I see two essential points here. First, we would like to make our message clearer, but our possibilities are limited since our classification is an internal, VDP regulation not recognized by law. As such, only the abbreviation “GG” rather than the complete designation “Grosses Gewächs” is permitted to appear on the label. Our goal is to help consumers recognize these top-quality, terroir-oriented wines in an unmistakable manner. The second issue involves the distinction between ERSTE LAGE wines and wines from classified sites (the middle step of the classification pyramid). Here, too, we need to make the distinction clearer in our communication efforts. We’re working on it and are fortunate to have vintage 2006 at hand as we do so. Germany’s “Grands Crus” have been clearly defined.
“We face the future optimistically. Both at home and abroad the enormous demand for ERSTE LAGE wines far exceeds supply, and the renaissance of German wines, particularly the Rieslings, has by no means reached its peak.”
Additional Opportunity for the Trade and Press
Members of the trade and press who were unable to attend the presentation in Berlin are cordially invited to attend the ERSTE LAGE Premiere at Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau on Sunday, 30 September 2007, from noon until 4 p.m.
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