A designation for sparkling wine produced by bottle fermentation that has been defined by tax law since 1985 and is reserved exclusively for Germany. It may be produced by wineries that are recognised as producers under wine law. The base wines corresponding to the status of a quality wine must come from a winery and be produced by the winery itself or in a producer association. The Austrian equivalent is Hauersekt.
For the production of alcoholic beverages, see Champagne (sparkling wines), distillation (distillates), speciality wines, spirits (types), winemaking (wines and wine types) and wine law (wine law issues).
For me, Lexicon from wein.plus is the most comprehensive and best source of information about wine currently available.
Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)