QmP Wine Classification

Once again it's time to try and de-mystify once little part of German wines - and today it's time to look at the whole Pradikat clasification. In short all the wines classed as QmP are then given a second classification based on the amount of potential alcohol in the grape juice (which essentially means the amount of sugar in the grape). Starting from the lowest to the highest -:

Kabinett - wines are the most delicate and will be light in body with crisp acidity and either citrus or green apple.

Spatlese - literally a late harvest wine - more concentrated and with more flavour and body than a Kabinett. Riper fruit flavours - less likely to be green apple and more ripe citrus and perhaps even hints of tropical flavour.

Auslese - made from individually selected bunches of grapes - chosen for being extra ripe and can be from dry (this is the last classification commonly found as a dry wine) but can equally be a sweet wine. Harvested at the same time as Kabinett and Spatlese - but the selection goes on in the winery or at the vineyard.

Beerenauslese - rare expensive wine made from grapes that are individually selected from bunches of extra ripe auslese grapes - these will often have been affected by Botrytis - that is noble rot which drys out grapes and concentrates flavours and sugars to make luscious sweet wines.

Trockenbeerenauslese - produced in minute quantities from individual grapes that have shriveled to tiny raisins as a result of noble rot. The grapes have the potential to make wines of 21.5% alcohol but with high acidity. They will of course never get this far - they will rarely have alcohol in excess of 8%abv.

Eiswein - Wine made from grapes that have been frozen (naturally not in a freezer!) The grapes are left on the wines and have the same sugar levels as a Beerenauslese but with no noble rot. During the winter the water in the grapes freeze but the sugars don't so they can then be pressed so that a very sweet juice can then be fermented. The wines produced in this fashion are generally expensive with excellent richness, acidity and wonderful purity of fruit.

Chilean Archives

As I look to make more and more notes available online - here is the latest in a series of notes taken from my early days of wine appreciation.

Casablanca Sauvignon Blanc 2002 (22/5/05)
Picked up in a bargain bin, straw coloured with aromas of apricots and just the very slightest hint of gooseberry. Rich and relatively full bodied with grapefruit and lime flavours, I found this to be a little on the sharp side and a little too sour suggesting the grapes never quite made it to full ripeness. (72)

Trio Red 2002 Concha Y Toro (30/11/04)
Made from 3 grape varieties and then blended by Ignacia Recabarren. This is the Merlot, Cabernet, Carmenere version with a raspberry and toasted vanilla nose and a hint of spice but which delivers both red and black fruit on the palate. A big, full bodied wine with plenty of structure though perhaps lacking a little in elegance. (80)

Montgras Merlot Reserva 2002 (5/12/04)
Well this is what started it all for me, the first time I tried a Chilean wine was a bottle of this very wine and it was the first time I realised there was more to life than cheap Aussie plonk! (that was affordable!) Ruby coloured with sweet raspberry aromas and a touch of vanilla with a plummy taste and a smooth mouth feel it's not the finest wine in the world ever - but what do you want for £3! Really decent value at that price!(80)

Louis Felipe Edwards Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (3/9/2004)
Very disappointing - not a lot to write home about here and certainly I'd be less likely to buy anything from him again - hard to put finger on what exactly went wrong - but I think that too much oak has been used against too little fruit character leading to something that verges on the unpalatable. Spicy with rough tannins. (74)

Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2002 (6/9/04)
Much more decent this - aromas of blackberry, oak and spice with lovely chocolate, coffee, oak and plum flavours leading to a long smooth finish. Full bodied. (82)

Valdevieso Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 (19/11/04)
Deep ruby coloured with a slight tawny rim and a bouquet of vanilla, blackcurrant and just a hint of cloves and all spice. Rich and creamy on the palate with soft red berry fruit - my only question is - why is this the reserve - as is often the case I preferred the non reserve with a little less alcohol and a slightly more reserved character! (81)

German Wine Part 2

So... German wines eh? Bit complicated if you ask me - they are of course classified in several different ways - firstly basic quality - there are "Table Wines" and "Quality Wines" - table wines are placed in two categories - Deutscher Tafelwein (lowest classification from one of 4 designated regions) and then Landwein - similar to the French Vin de Pays from one of 17 regions which mut be shown on the label. Wines must be either "Trocken" (dry) or "Halbtrocken" (Off-Dry).

Quality Wines are also in two categories - QbA (Qualitatswein bestimmer Anbaugebiet) - which is literally wine from a designated quality region (an "Anbaugebiet). Often these wines will just show Qualitatswein on the label. To give you an idea Liebfraumilch fits in this category, as does Niersteiner Gutes Domtal and Piesporter Michelsberg (Hock is not a quality wine - it's a tafelwein.

QmP wines (Qualitatswein bestimmer Pradikat) which is again from a single Anbaugebiet but which also must come from particular district from within an Anbaugebiet (called a "Bereich").
QmP wines are then categorised by their "must weights" that is the specific gravity of the grape juice - which is in reality the amount of sugar in the juice.
So... when choosing a German wine - look for QmP on the label - it's no true guarantee of quality - but it will help it!

Want to know?

Is something holding you back? Do you want an area of wine demystified - let me know and I'll answer questions and try and give you the lowdown - with a bit of luck I'll learn something at the same time. German wines are first up!

German Wines

If there is anything in the world of wine that is certain, it is that German wines are to the non German market a complete mystery. Complex laws, and complex labels make life very difficult - wines are labeled not only by maker - quite possibly the single most important piece of information on the bottle - but also the sugar ripeness of the grapes - which determine where in a hierarchy the wine sits. In addition where the grapes for the wine come from is put on the label - which would be fine if the Germans hadn't come up with several different levels of classification from single vineyard site, through a group of vineyards, to a commune, a group of communes and so on. This is further complicated by the very fact that a town may give it's name to both single vineyard sites - the equivalent of a grand cru - capable of producing fantastic wines - but also give it's name to what the Germans call a "Grosslage" or a group of communes. So Piesport lends it's name to both Piesporter Goldtropfchen a vineyard site by the town of Piesport that is on a steep slope and is capable of excellent wines from Riesling only and also to Piesport Michelsberg a large area under vine producing wines from poor vineyard sites from poor grape varieties such as Muller Thurgau.

Inexpensive German wine has forever been tainted in this country by three names : Blue Nun, Black Tower and Liebfraumilch - none of which anyone should use for anything other than washing paint brushes in.
But there are some real bargains out there - one name particularly to look out for is Dr Loosen - a brand created by Decanter Man of the Year 2005 Ernst Loosen - who makes some really wonderful Riesling that is becoming more and more available in the UK all the time. Look out for his Dr L Riesling all over the place - absolutely ideal with a Chinese meal, or on a hot Summer's day as an aperitif or for drinking during the afternoon - the low alcohol won't knock you out either.
Ernie has also invested in buying the JL Wolf winery in the Pfalz (Dr Loosen is just for Mosel-Saar-Ruwer) which tend to be less expensive, slightly less expressive - but definitely worth looking out for.

Over the coming weeks, I'll be trying to help de-mystify German wines a little (though they are still something of a mystery to me!) and hopefully point out some wines to try. For now it's Dr. L - or look out for "The Naked Grape" Riesling from Waitrose - also worth a go!