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According to a statement by the VDP, the Bundesrat has concluded its consultations on the revised draft of the ordinance on the new wine law. Despite many changes to the German classification model that have been hotly disputed and long discussed within the German Winegrowers' Association, the VDP is expressly in favour of the model, according to a statement. This is "a necessary and correct first step". Nevertheless, VDP president Steffen Christmann criticises: "Certainly, from our point of view, a much more consistent and extensive profiling of origin would have been necessary in order to be successful quickly and sustainably. Nevertheless, we agree with the principles of the reform," Christmann writes. In it, for the first time, a Romanesque, four-level classification with the categories area, Bereich/Großlage, Ortswein and single vineyard has been adopted. "The Großlage must be distinguishable from the single vineyard - clearly and for everyone," emphasises the VDP president. "In order to convey a sustainable profile to consumers, it is essential that vineyard names are used exclusively for the best category and can be clearly distinguished from all other levels of origin. It is right that when naming large vineyards, some of which are as large as three growing regions, the addition region is always used on all labels in an easily recognisable way."
According to the draft of the new wine regulation, the Großlagen will remain, they will only be preceded by the term "region" on the label. But once again, the cooperatives, which had vehemently opposed the abolition of the Großlagen demanded by many association representatives, were able to prevail. The wine ordinance now defines that the term "region" only has to be printed in a font size of 1.2 millimetres on the label and possibly only has to be found on the back label. Christmann is clearly opposed to this: "The 1.2mm provided for in the draft is clearly too small and hardly legible. We plead for this to be in the same font, colour and size, but at least 2/3 the size of the camp name (DWV unanimous compromise). The suggestion that this should only be done on the back label would be a disaster for German premium wines. (...) If great vineyards are now only labelled with the name of the Großlage on the front label without the term region or in tiny letters, this is a consumer deception."
For this purpose, the terms "Großes Gewächs" and "Erstes Gewächs", which were introduced by the VDP but are not legally protected, are to be allowed to be used as designations within the new classification. The VDP positions itself emphatically against this: "The draft now presented for the inclusion of the terms 'Großes Gewächs' and 'Erstes Gewächs' in the wine ordinance is based one-to-one on the criteria of the failed 'Selection', which was anchored in the same place. Simply renaming a failed concept with the same parameters to a successful name is unsuitable. Not only that, it is even harmful and failure is pre-programmed." Steffen Christmann hopes to be able to negotiate a clarification within the winegrowers' association before the end of 2021.
(uka / Photo: VDP)