German wine - wine basics
Deutscher Tafelwein (simple table wine)
must fulfill the following conditions:
- be produced exclusively from German produce from the legally recognized roster of grapes permitted in Germany, grown in one of the five "Tafelwein" regions. The region, or a sub-region, must be declared on the label
- must reach a natural alcohol content (must weight) of 5% (44° Oechsle) in climatic zone A (all German wine-growing regions except Baden) and 6% (50° Oechsle) in climatic zone B (Baden)
- must reach an existing alcohol content of at least 8.5% by volume in zones A and B
- must reach a total acidity of at least 4.5 grams/liter.
The alcohol content of these wines may be strengthenedprior to fermentation by concentration (evaporation of grape must under vacuum) or enrichment (adding dry - cane or beet - sugar, or concentrated grape must, to the [still] unfermented juice).
Note:Blends of table wine from different countries of the EU, i.e. Euroblends, must include a statement on the label indicating where the grapes were grown or that it is a blend from several countries. Only "Deutscher" Tafelwein is 100% German in origin.