Wine-legal designation for special wine qualities in Germany and Austria, as well as in France - see under Sélection de grains nobles. See also under Selection.
New quality designation introduced in Germany from the 2001 vintage onwards in all growing regions. The quality concept is supported by the DWV (Deutscher Weinbauverband), the DWI (Deutsches Weininstitut), the regional wine advertisements and all important national associations. According to the then DWI managing director Armin Göring, this should be a valuable aid to decision-making when buying wine: The term Selection on the label guarantees the wine lover dry wines of regionally typical grape varieties of excellent quality. What is meant are German premium wines that represent the dry counterpart of noble sweet Auslesen. These should be the top products of a winery of selected vineyards with officially registered plots. The typical and classic grape varieties of the growing regions were defined by the respective federal states.
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien