Franco-German wines: borderline case in the glass

Friedrich Becker from the Palatinate winery of the same name is a burnt child.

He had to pay a fine of 20,000 euros for having written the name of his best vineyard on the bottle: Kammerberg.

Or not even.

“We left out two letters, the A and something else.” You can still find the label on the Internet.

"KAMMERB ** G" is written on it.

Just as the winemaker himself never memorized the pseudonym, the matter was so obvious to others.

The wine control couldn't help but prohibit the mummery.

What or better where is the problem?

The wine-growing village of Schweigen is located on the French border, a stone's throw from the Alsatian city of Wissembourg.

However, some winemakers own vineyards across the border, i.e. on French soil.

They bring the grapes to their cellars in Germany in autumn.

There they are naturalized, so to speak.

The label then says the origin: Schweigener Sonnenberg, Palatinate quality wine.

That this is allowed at all is due to an exemption.

But Friedrich Becker is still not happy with it: “The Kammerberg is my best Pinot noir location.” But since it is in France, he is not allowed to write the name of the vineyard on the bottle.

Because to do this, the wine would have to be pressed in France as well.

"Everything went into the same pot, the barrels had to be full"

With two other locations, Sankt Paul and Heydenreich, which are also located in Alsace, Becker was inventive: he simply had them protected as brand names in Germany. Because of this legal trick, he is now allowed to write it on the label. In this way, a Grand Vin de Germany becomes one that shows its Alsatian origins. At the Kammerberg, Becker shies away from the brand trick: “I'm a burnt child.” There is still the possibility of imaginary names: Pinot Noir KB is what he now calls his parade Pinot Noir. Wine control accepts that. And lovers of his wines know what is meant. The winemaker, who is fixated on special locations, still feels pain that he is not allowed to simply name the origin.

The Association of German Predicate and Quality Wineries (VDP), of which Becker is a member, pretends to be nothing. In the club's cartography, the Kammerberg is listed among the top locations, which are called “VDP.Große Lagen”. Although members are not allowed to write the name on the label. Winery Werner Jülg from Schweigen, who recently became a member of the VDP, is accepting the balancing act. "The location names of the VDP and the legal regulations are two different things." Because the Alsatian location names are of course not included in the Palatinate vineyard roll. Nevertheless, he also wants to give his customers an indication of the respected origin, which is strongly reminiscent of Becker's emergency solution. Sonnenberg KB is the name of Jülgs Pinot Noir from the French location Kammerberg. Another Grand Vin de Germany.

The fact that the winemakers squirm so has to do with the changed quality approach. For decades it was important from a German point of view to make as many and strong wines as possible. The 1971 wine law, which has since become obsolete, reflects this attitude: the sugar content in the must, measured in degrees Oechsle, was the most frequently observed parameter. Where the grapes came from in detail: rather irrelevant. “Everything went into the same pot, the barrels had to be full,” says Jülg. Now, however, yields are being reduced, expensive oak barrels are being bought, and good locations are being vinified individually. It makes sense that you want to show these special origins. Because customers are now paying much more attention to smaller, prestigious locations.