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K is For Kabinett
Deciphering
a label on a bottle of German wine can be a
daunting task.
First,
there's the obvious language barrier. Beyond
that, some of the guidelines that have been
established are "loosely interpreted"
by some vintners.
However,
there are certain words you can look for that
almost always assure quality in the bottle.
And with that in mind, it's time to dip back
into our alphabet soup of wine...
"K"
is for Kabinett
Germany's
wine laws are based on both tradition and geography,
and Qualitaswein mit Pradikat (QmP) is
the top level of quality wine.
The
term roughly translates to "with distinction."
The
Six Levels of QmP
There
are six levels of QmP wines, based on the must
weight of the grapes. Kabinett is the most delicate
of the six levels.
This
makes Kabinett the best level of QmP wines for
pairing with food, because the other levels
are increasingly sweet.
And
because of the strict guidelines and defining
characteristics, the QmP wines of Germany are
considered the most "noble" white
wines in the world.
So
even if you can't understand any of the language
on a bottle of German wine, if you see the word
"Kabinett" on the label, you can be
reasonably sure that you're holding a bottle
that would be wonderful with your evening meal.
A meal like... Broiled
Salmon With Bacon Raspberry Beurre Blanc
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1999
Franz Reh Piesporter Goldtropchen
Kabinett
2000
Dr. Fischer Ockfener Bockstein
Riesling Kabinett
