Colloquial term for a wine of outstanding quality. It has no meaning under wine law and there are no generally applicable criteria regarding origin, wine type or vinification. One common feature is that such wines were initially produced contrary to existing regulations (grape varieties, vinification, etc.) and were therefore declassified (e.g. country wine instead of quality wine). They are often produced in small quantities using complex methods and are very expensive. A term with a similar meaning is garage wine (boutique wine). A few examples, without any claim to completeness, of such wines are
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The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena