Different types of wine
Wine law classifies three types of quality wine - white, red and rosé.
Facts
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13 %
of all quality and Prädikat wines in Germany were rosés in 2022
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70.752 ha
was the area of white wine varieties in Germany in 2022
Wine law distinguishes between three types of quality wine: white, red and rosé. Which type of wine is produced from the grapes also depends on how they are treated. Regardless of the type of wine, the grapes are usually first destemmed after the harvest, i.e. separated from the stems, and the berries are crushed. This produces the so-called mash. For white wine production, the mash is pressed directly or after a short standing time.
For red wine production, on the other hand, the mash is first fermented or briefly heated before pressing, which releases the colour pigments from the berry skins. If the mash of red grapes is left to stand for just a few hours or overnight before pressing, only a little colour from the berry skins is transferred to the must and the result is a rosé wine.
Not every rosé-coloured wine is also called "rosé". You will also find the term "Weißherbst" on the label. This is a rosé wine that always comes from a specific grape variety. Rotling is a special rosé-coloured wine. It is produced by pressing red and white wine grapes together. Well-known examples of a Rotling are Badisch Rotgold or Württemberger Schillerwein.
Are there special grape varieties for making rosé?
No, basically all red grape varieties are suitable for making rosé wine.
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