On Tuesday evening the VDP Rheinhessen passed a resolution which now allows the category of Kabinett wines to use the Grosse Lage designation. Until now the identification of origin from a Grosse Lage (the VDP equivalent of Grand Cru) was reserved for Grosse Gewächse for dry wines and Prädikat wines from Spätlese upwards for fruity and so-called noble-sweet wines. Kabinett wines using the Grosse Lage designation need to meet the following requirements: 85° Oechsle at the time of harvest, less than 10% alcohol and a minimum of 20 g/l RS. These are the same standards as required by the VDP chapters of Nahe and Mosel for their Grosse Lagen Kabinett wines.
The upshot is that the likes of Klaus Peter Keller (who has so kindly supplied me with this information so swiftly) will no longer have to label his Kabinett from the Hipping vineyard with nothing more explicit than the H shown here on this 2012.
