Understanding the German Wine Label

When Ann and I were in Rudesheim, we fell in love with the regional wine: Rheingau Riesling. More specifically the Halbtrocke or half-dry. Yesterday, we spent 2 and 1/2 hours on an expedition (got it right, Ann!) for our beloved wine here in St Paul and nearby Minneapolis. Five liquor stores and 12(mostly different vintners) bottles later, we felt we had accomplished something wondrous.

Riesling  Grape Buds-2011 Season

In the midst of our perusing, we realized we knew little about the entire label of German wines. Wikipedia (where would we be without it!) gave me the best answers this morning:

Prädikat (Predicate) designations (the highest level of German wine classifications)

The Prädikatswein (formerly QmP) category of the classification contains most high-quality German wines, with the exception of some top-quality dry wines. The different Prädikat designations differ in terms of the required must weight, the sugar content of the grape juice, and the level required is dependent on grape variety and wine-growing region and is defined in terms of the Oechsle scale. In fact the must weight is seen as a rough indicator of quality (and price). The Prädikat system has its origin at Schloss Johannisberg in Rheingau, where the first Spätlese was produced in 1775^[4] where wines received different colour seals based on their must weight.

Vineyards on the slopes

The different Prädikat designations used are as followed, in order of increasing sugar levels in the must:
Kabinett fully ripened light wines from the main harvest, typically semi-sweet with crisp acidity, but can be dry if designated so.
Spätlese - meaning "late harvest"
typically semi-sweet, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett. Spätlese can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated so. While Spätlese means late harvest the wine is not as sweet as a dessert wine.
Auslese - meaning "select harvest"
made from selected very ripe bunches or grapes, typically semi-sweet or sweet, sometimes with some noble rot character. Sometimes Auslese is also made into a powerful dry wine, but the designation Auslese trocken has been discouraged after the introduction of Grosses Gewächs. Auslese is the Prädikat which covers the widest range of wine styles, and can be a dessert wine.
Beerenauslese - meaning "select berry harvest"
made from individually selected overripe grapes often affected by noble rot, making rich sweet dessert wine.

Vineyards by Abbey of Hildegard

Eiswein (ice wine)
made from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine, making a very concentrated wine. Must reach at least the same level of sugar content in the must as a Beerenauslese. The most classic Eiswein style is to use only grapes that are not affected by noble rot. Until the 1980s, the Eiswein designation was used in conjunction with another Prädikat (which indicated the ripeness level of the grapes before they had frozen), but is now considered a Prädikat of its own.
Trockenbeerenauslese - meaning "select dry berry harvest" or "dry berry selection" made from selected overripe shrivelled grapes often affected by noble rot making extremely rich sweet wines.

Discovering this type of wine is a great experience and one I am happy to "dig" into. Of course, tastings are mandatory. I'll let you know my classifications and ratings on the various vintners and vintages.
As always, your comments are appreciated!

TTFN: njpa

Easter Sunday Sunset II, 2011

Easter Sunday Sunset, 24.Apr.2011

Jiggety-Jig

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
     To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
     Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done. -- Mother Goose

A week ago, I was in Paris. I was not having a good day (arthritically speaking), but I had gotten to the Musée d'Orsay and viewed the French impressionists, the beautiful furniture collections, the sculptures of bronze and marble, the enormous paintings by the Romantic Italians and the small sketches by Degas. All of it amazing. A museum I would love to have to myself for a day. It reminds me that I need to get to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and other museums here in my own unexplored city.

On Thursday, Rick and I went to the Musée du Louvre while Ann headed out on her own. Rick and I took the Metro to a hotel, first, to see if we could replace something a friend of ours had requested. Unfortunately, what was destroyed is irreplaceable in so many ways. From Place de la Concorde, we Métro'd it to the Louvre where we used our indispensable museum pass to avoid the longer lines and get into a shorter, long line. Within 10 minutes we were in Denon Wing headed to the Mona Lisa, passing Winged Victory and the Madonna paintings of the Middle Ages. Et Voila! There she was! Her smirk belying the cigarette just out of shot and the half-empty glass of cognac next to it. We enjoyed our brief trip to this museum, and like most people not on a tour, got lost trying to find our way out! Finally outside, we wound our way around the building and took pictures on the beautiful Louvre plaza. Paris is an amazing place!
Friday. FRIDAY! The Royal Wedding of Wills & Kate. Ann and I watched the prep that morning in comfort compared to our compatriots on this side of the Pond. Paris is an hour ahead of London (Paris: Noon; London: 11am). What a beauty she was! He was almost "all boy" as they stood before the Archbishop and repeated their vows: flushed cheeks, glinting eyes, dry lips needing constant moistening. I thought Kate was wonderfully composed for the day. I felt the ceremony really was all about them and not the 2 billion onlookers. Well done, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!
Shortly after the wedding finished, our driver for the afternoon, Boris, picked us up and whisked us out to Chartres to visit the great cathedral there. On most Fridays in the Spring and Summer, the labyrinth is available for traversing. I was fortunate enough to share this cathedral and labyrinth with Rick & Ann. We all walked it -- though not together interestingly enough. Others we walking it as well. The inside of the cathedral is undergoing significant rennovation and cleaning, so it's powerful beauty was somewhat diminished. Also, it was a cloudy day so the cathedral windows were subdued. I will return to Chartres as often as possible in my lifetime. I love the old part of town. In my wildest dreams of being an Oblate with Benedictine Sisters, I can see week-long retreats at Chartres, praying/singing the hours, reading, working, worshiping. I know. It's a bubble that could burst at any moment.
>>> Poof! <<< Done.
My timezone readjustment is underway and should be complete by Friday. I am currently in Newfoundland, Canada (time-wise). Bedtime/Sleeptime is at about 8pm and wake-up is at 5:30am. If I can make a two hour later shift in that by the weekend, I'll be home-zoned!
Thanks for reading! Please post a comment.
~N