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Designation (also second label) for a significantly cheaper and simpler line of a winery that is marketed under a different name than the Grand Vin (first wine). This is most common in Bordeaux, but the term is also used in other regions and countries. The best wines from the best sites are used for the main wine. The philosophy or criteria are quite different for each château and can also change with each vintage. These are, for example, grapes from vineyards with younger vines (about 10 to 15 years), grapes from sites of lower quality compared to the first sites, batches from the pre-harvest, wines from the second pressing and wines from poorer barrel samples. In bad vintages, it can happen that the production of the first wine is dispensed with, for example in 1987 at Château Lafleur and in 1991 at Château Cheval Blanc. Especially in very good years, the second wine often offers much better value for money, because the Grands Vins cost at least twice as much. Since 1993, it has been permissible to use the additional designations Château or Domaine for the second or third wine.

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Roman Horvath MW

wein.plus is a handy, efficient guide to a quick overview of the colourful world of wines, winegrowers and grape varieties. In Wine lexicon, the most comprehensive of its kind in the world, you will find around 26,000 keywords on the subject of grape varieties, wineries, wine-growing regions and much more.

Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)

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