Weinkellerei

Winery that buys grape MUST or wine from a grower, then bottles and markets the wine.

Weinstube

German for wine tavern; a comfortable, casual restaurant where Germans go for simple food and a bottle of wine.

Weissherbst

In Germany, a rosé wine of at least QUALITÄTSWEIN BESTIMMTER ANBAUGEBIETE (QBA) status made from red grapes of a single variety. A specialty of Baden.

Winzer

Grape farmer.

Weingut

Wine estate.

VDP

Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, or Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates. An organization of some 200 prestigious estates throughout Germany which are revising the traditional concepts of ripeness and sweetness in Germany. The VDP has also… Continue reading

Trocken

Dry. Wines labeled trocken from both Germany and Austria must have less than 0.9 percent RESIDUAL SUGAR.

Strausswirtschaft

German wine pubs, often attached to growers’ homes, where they can sell their own wines and light foods for a total of only four months of the year, so as not to take business away… Continue reading

Süssreserve

Grape juice that has been held back from the harvest and unfermented so that it has all of its natural sweetness. In Germany, small amounts of süssreserve may be added to some high ACID wines… Continue reading

Smaragd

Austrian term used in the Wachau region of Lower Austria for the ripest grapes and hence fullest bodied wines. Smaragd wines must have a minimum of 12.5 percent alcohol, but most have considerably more. The… Continue reading

Spätlese

Plural spätlesen. Literally “late harvest.” A level of ripeness indicating that the wine was just ripe according to the traditional German system. According to this traditional system, a spätlese could be dry, half dry, or… Continue reading