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The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented per the German Wine Law of 1971. Almost all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen ('individual sites'), and the produce from one can be used to make wine at any quality level, depending not on yields but on the ripeness, or must weight of the grapes. In a country as far north as Germany, the ripeness of grapes varies tremendously and profoundly affects the types of wine that can be produced. The ripeness categories are referred to as "quality levels," which is a misnomer - ripeness is always a clue to a wine's body, but not necessarily a predictor of its quality. Also, ripeness is determined by sugar content at harvest and does not reflect the sugar content in the final wine. Thus a wine in any of the German categories can be dry (trocken) or fairly dry (halbtrocken.) The quality system of wines has been reorganized since 1 August 2009 by the EU wine market organization. The traditional German wine classification was superseded by an origin-related system (Terroir). The already existing protection of geographical indication was transmitted through this step as well to the wine classification.〔(Verordnung (EG) Nr. 479/2008 des Rates vom 29. April 2008 über die gemeinsame Marktorganisation für Wein ) chapter 27〕 ==Quality designations== There are two major categories of German wine: table wine and "quality" wine. Table wine includes the designations ''tafelwein'' and ''landwein''. These are rock bottom categories of inexpensive, light, neutral wine. Unlike the supposed equivalents of "Vin de Table" / "Vino da Tavola" and "Indicazione Geographica Tipica" / "Vin de Pays", exciting things are rarely made, production levels are not high, and these wines are typically exported to the United States. In 2005, Tafelwein and Landwein only accounted for 3.6% of total production.〔(Deutsches Weininstitut: German Wine Statistics 2006-2007 )〕 Quality wine is divided into two types: ;''Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete'' (QbA), or quality wine from a specific region. :This is wine from one of the 13 wine-growing regions (''Anbaugebiete''), and the region must be shown on the label. It is a basic level of everyday, mostly inexpensive quaffing wines. The grapes are at a fairly low level of ripeness, with must weights of 51°Oe to 72°Oe. The alcohol content of the wine must be at least 7% by volume, and chaptalization (adding sugar to the unfermented grape juice to boost the final alcohol level, which in no way alters the sweetness) is often used. QbA range from dry to semi-sweet, and the style is often indicated on the label, along with the designation ''Qualitätswein'' and the region. Some top-level dry wines are officially QbA although they would qualify as Prädikatswein. ;''Prädikatswein'', renamed from ''Qualitätswein mit Prädikat'' (QmP) (superior quality wine) in August 2007 : Translated as "quality wine with specific attributes", this is the top level of German wines. These prominently display a Prädikat (ripeness level designation) on the label and may not be chaptalized. Prädikatswein range from dry to intensely sweet, but unless it is specifically indicated that the wine is dry or off-dry, these wines always contain a noticeable amount of residual sugar. Prädikatswein must be produced from allowed varieties in one of the 39 subregions (''Bereich'') of one of the 13 wine-growing regions, although it is the region rather than the subregion which is mandatory information on the label. (Some of the smaller regions, such as Rheingau, consist of only one subregion.) The different Prädikat (superior quality wine) designations used are as followed, in order of increasing sugar levels in the must: ;Kabinett - literally "cabinet", meaning wine of reserve quality to be kept in the vintner's cabinet : 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. The grapes are picked at least 7 days after normal harvest, so they are riper. While waiting to pick the grapes carries a risk of the crop being ruined by rain, in warm years and from good sites much of the harvest can reach Spätlese level. 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, as the "late harvest" term is often used in US wines. ;Auslese - meaning "select harvest" : made from very ripe, hand selected bunches, 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 overripe grapes individually selected from bunches and often affected by noble rot, making rich sweet dessert wine. ;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. "Trocken" in this phrase refers to the grapes being dried on the vine rather than the resulting wine being a dry style. The minimum must weight requirements for the different Prädikat designations are as follows.〔(Deutsches Weininstitut (German Wine Institute): Must weights )〕 Many producers, especially top-level producers, exceed the minimum requirements by a wide margin. : This does not necessarily determine the sweetness of the final wine, because the winemaker may choose to ferment the wine fully or let some residual sugar remain. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「German wine classification」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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