VDP.GROSSE LAGE®

CONTENTS:
Preface by Steffen Christmann
Index | VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Vineyards by Region in Alphabetical Order
Index | VDP.Wineries in Alphabetical Order & their VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Vineyards
»Who’s Afraid of Terroir?« by Reinhard Heymann-Löwenstein
The VDP.Classification briefly explained
VDP.GROSSE LAGE | The Peak of the Pyramid
VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter | Who we are
»Sound and Smoke | On Classified Vineyard Sites and Their Names« by Dr. Daniel Deckers
Vineyard.Online | The Online Guide to Germanys Best Sites
Historical Vineyard Maps
The Wine Regions of Germany
The Region AHR & its VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Vineyards
The Region BADEN & its VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Vineyards
The Region FRANKEN & its VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Vineyards
The Region MITTELRHEIN & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region MOSEL SAAR RUWER & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region NAHE & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region pfalz & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region RHEINGAU & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region rheinhessen & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region SACHSEN/SAALE-UNSTRUT & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The Region württemberg & its VDP.GROSSE LAGEN® Vineyards
The VDP.REGIONAL OFFICES
The VDP.ESTATES | Addresses
The VDP.PARTNERS

Preface by Steffen Christmann, President of VDP: Dear Friends of Great German Wine, The German Renaissance of the ‘grand cru’ model of wine classification is well under­way and rightfully basking in international attention. Yet the meaning and mechanisms behind this movement are less easily understood, making it difficult for observers to appreciate its distinctive elements and nuances. The pages of this book gather together our most precious vineyards—the current roster of classified VDP.GROSSE LAGE sites—together with a wealth of fascinating information. We hope to awaken your interest and inspire you to explore the extensive knowledge available at Weinberg.Online. We live in an age of digitization, yet good old-fashioned books can open up an effective channel to improving our understanding of our ‘grand sites of origin’—in a form that is perhaps less ephemeral than online media. This book also provides an excellent forum for differing opinions, precisely the kind that might encourage deeper contemplation and foster more much-needed discussion within the VDP and the larger German winegrowing community. Reinhard Löwenstein, Vice-President of the VDP, has put his thoughts to paper in an essay entitled “Who’s Af­raid of Terroir.” He philosophizes about soil, nature and authenticity. For him, terroir is the basis for the true classification of wines. He retraces the path that brought us from Öchsle to vineyard and which led to a “provocative break from a system of wine classification that had been in place for a century and was ostensibly based on objective facts.” Daniel Deckers, journalist with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and author of the book “The Sign of The Grape and Eagle,” draws on Goethe as he ruminates on the thesis that vineyard sites are “sound and smoke.” He follows historical clues and analyzes the rise of the famed classified site maps and site assessments that often oriented themselves by prices—and thus indirectly by demand and prestige on the market for the most renowned wines from German regions. He also casts a critical view over our current vineyard classification system. We, the member estates of the VDP.Prädikatsweingüter, believe in the path we have chosen, and that Germany’s finest classified sites are worthy of being restored to their former grandeur. But this kind of monumental achievement isn’t built in a day. It is one step on a larger journey and needs constant review and optimization. As so the book in your hands can be understood as a slice in time, reflecting our current thoughts about Germany’s GROSSE LAGEN. We hope you enjoy your exploration of these many magnificent vineyards and join us on our shared journey along this highly promising path.