Common name in Germany for a partially fermented grape must. The name is presumably derived from the yeasty, cloudy, dull white colour. But in the German dictionary of the Brothers Grimm, the following entry can be found: Federweißer; young, still fermenting milky-cloudy wine (from the old name Federweiß for "alum", because alum used to be added to the wine as a preservative). It was not until the 1990s that a Federroter, made mainly from the grape varieties Blauer Portugieser, Frühburgunder and Dornfelder, became popular in the growing regions of Ahr, Pfalz and Rheinhessen.
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Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden