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In its session today, the Bundesrat approved the Federal Government's draft reform of the wine ordinance with amendments. The government only has to formally agree to the Bundesrat's proposal once more. According to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, this and the publication of the ordinance can probably be expected in mid to late April 2021.
The changes decided by the Bundesrat mainly concern the legal regulation of the designations "Erstes Gewächs" and "Großes Gewächs" as well as the list of grape varieties for German wine. The framework with four levels of origin within a PDO was basically confirmed. The ordinance contains nationally uniform specifications for the must weight as well as the marketing dates for local and single-vineyard wines.
According to a press release, the Secretary General of the German Winegrowers' Association, Christian Schwörer, appealed to the protective associations of the wine-growing regions "to use the transitional period granted until 2025 to make appropriate adjustments to their product specifications in order to raise the profile of their area".
(uka / Photo: German Wine Institute)