Selection

Selection meaning in German wine

Selection was a former German statutory labeling term for certain Qualitätswein, not a VDP classification. Before its federal provision was repealed in December 2018, qualifying wine had to carry one varietal indication, come from a named single vineyard and vintage, use a regionally authorized classic variety, be hand harvested at no more than 60 hectoliters per hectare, meet specified maturity, dryness, and sensory criteria, and not be released before September 1 following harvest. Germany’s states specified the eligible regional varieties. The former rules did not require “natural fermentation.”

The VDP’s current private origin classification has four tiers—VDP.GUTSWEIN, VDP.ORTSWEIN, VDP.ERSTE LAGE, and VDP.GROSSE LAGE—and contains no Selection tier. The association changed its name in 2000 and adopted its first internal origin classification in 2001.

Sources: official 2018 amendment repealing the Selection provision; VDP classification and history.