Designation used in many countries for a special type of winemaking or for a particular style of wine, but which has no EU-wide significance. Basically, it means that a wine has been produced "in the old and traditional way", which can be quite different depending on the wine-growing country and wine-growing region.
In Germany, the new quality designation "Classic" was introduced with the 2000 vintage. The initiative was taken by the German Winegrowers' Association and supported by the DWI (German Wine Institute). The designation applies to dry wines of superior quality typical of the region (quality wines and Prädikat wines). The wine must be made from a classic grape variety typical of the region, whereby certain varieties (2 to 9) are permitted, depending on the growing region. The varieties Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir are defined in (almost) all of them. The respective grape variety may appear on the label; in Württemberg, "Trollinger with Lemberger" is also permitted.
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For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.
Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien