Mosel Glossary
Abfüllung Bottling. Label designation signifying wine purchased and bottled—rather than produced—at the domaine.
Alte Reben Old vines. An unregulated term, usually meaning the vines are between 30 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).
Anbaugebiet Wine-growing region.
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.
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.
Bereich Sub-region. The Mosel has six sub-regions: Burg Cochem/Untermosel (Koblenz to Zell), Bernkastel/Mittelmosel (Briedel to Trier), Ruwer, Saar, Obermosel (Konz to Perl), and Moseltor.
Bernkasteler Ring A growers’ association founded in 1899 with 35 well-known estates from the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer that auction and presents 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).
Fass A barrel. The traditional barrel on the Mosel is the 1,000-liter Fuder.
feinherb A 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 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.
Gold Kapsel (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) Great Growth. A designation used by the VDP, and recently also the Bernkasteler Ring, to highlight the top dry wines from their members’ best sites. Curiously and often confusingly, the wines are labeled as Qualitätswein, without the term “trocken,” so that non-insiders might assume they were sweet if the alcohol levels were not so high.
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.
Gutswein Estate wine. On the Mosel many growers are bottling their standard QbA as Gutsriesling (Estate Riesling) by eliminating the single-vineyard designation.
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 Lowest level in the Prädikat system. Kabinett can be dry, off-dry, or sweet and must have a minimum of 73° Oechsle on the Mosel. Often the embodiment of easy, light, straightforward drinkability, though because no maximum Oechsle and alcohol levels exist, some Kabinette are actually (declassified) Spätlesen and Auslesen in must weight. Pre-1971 Wine Law, unchaptalized wines were labeled naturrein (“naturally pure”). The old term Cabinet, which originated in the Rheingau, had no relation and meant instead a reserve bottling.
Keller A cellar. The Mosel is distinguished by its many deep, cool, and vaulted cellars.
Kellerei Winery (see Weinkellerei).
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. 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.
must Unfermented grape juice, includes grape skins, pulp, and seeds.
naturrein A “naturally pure” wine, i.e., the pre-1971 label term for a non-chaptalized wine.
Naturwein A “natural wine.” The historical (pre-1971) designation for today’s Prädikatswein, i.e., unchaptalized wines, including the redefined older terms such as Spätlese and Auslese.
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. On the Mosel, the stony slate soils are ideal for producing true noble rot.
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.
Ortswein A wine labeled after the name of the village rather than a single vineyard (for example, Ayler rather than Ayler Kupp). Today, it is a part of the VDP’s classification pyramid.
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 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.
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) Since the 1971 German Wine Law this designation normally meant quality wines of the lowest level (Quality Wines of a Particular Growing Region), which have a minimum Oechsle of 55° and can be chaptalized and concentrated. Recently, however, there have been a growing number of official top-wine designations (such as Grosses Gewächs, Selection, and Riesling “S”) which now qualify as QbA. Some producers have done away with the Prädikat system and instead use internal domaine designations for their best dry or off-dry wines (now technically QbA). The term "Qualitätswein," paired with the name of the region, has now replaced QbA on most labels.
Reinzuchthefen Pure culture yeasts. The opposite of wild or natural yeasts.
residual sugar 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-nineteenth 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 A Prädikat between Kabinett and Auslese, it literally means “late harvest.” 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.
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 feine, feinste, and hochfeine Auslese, and feine and feinste Spätlese.)
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.
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 and has 31 members. 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.
Weinkellerei A winery that buys grapes or wine from external sources. The wine is vinified or raised and bottled for sale, often today for large-scale production. The Mosel tradition had been for many more small- to mid-sized Weinkellereien that owned vineyards and also bought wine from small growers for maturing until ready for sale.
Weinhändler A wine merchant.
Weinhandelshaus A wine merchant house or négociant.
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 have the original European rootstock and can produce flavors more striking and concentrated than younger grafted vines. In the late nineteenth 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.