Publication of the single document referred to in Article 94(1)(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and of the reference to the publication of the product specification for a name in the wine sector

(2020/C 124/10)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within two months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’

PDO-DE-02403

Date of application: 6 December 2017

1. Name to be registered

Würzburger Stein-Berg

2. Member State

3. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

4. Categories of grapevine products

Wine

5. Description of the wine(s)

Quality wine

White wine made from Silvaner, Riesling and Weisser Burgunder vine varieties

Characteristics: great depth and body, twinned with elegance

—	buffered, integrated harmonious acid structure

—	well-integrated alcohol

—	minerality strongly characterised by Muschelkalk soils

—	fine fruity character specific to the vine variety

—	quality wines from ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ are dry white wines

—	wines with particularly smoky flint notes and a fine fruity character

—	colour ranging from yellow to golden yellow

—

natural alcoholic strength: at least 12,2 % vol. – 90 °Oe, total alcoholic strength after enrichment: maximum 15 % vol.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)	15
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	11
Minimum total acidity	5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	18
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)	150

Wine with the special attribute ‘Auslese’

White wine made from Silvaner, Riesling and Weisser Burgunder vine varieties

Characteristics: great depth and body, twinned with elegance

—	buffered, integrated harmonious acid structure

—	well-integrated alcohol

—	minerality strongly characterised by Muschelkalk soils

—	fine fruity character specific to the vine variety

—	wines with particularly smoky flint notes and a fine fruity character

—	colour ranging from yellow to golden yellow

—	wines with special attributes from ‘Auslese’ to ‘Trockenbeerenauslese’ and ‘Eiswein’ are distinguished by a notable residual sugar content of at least 45 g/l, Noblesse complex wines

—	natural alcoholic strength: at least 13,8 % vol – 100 °Oe.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the provisions of the German Wine Law apply.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	7
Minimum total acidity	6 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	18
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)	350

Wine with the special attribute ‘Beerenauslese’

White wine made from Silvaner, Riesling and Weisser Burgunder vine varieties

Characteristics: great depth and body, twinned with elegance

—	buffered, integrated harmonious acid structure

—	well-integrated alcohol

—	minerality strongly characterised by Muschelkalk soils

—	fine fruity character specific to the vine variety

—	wines with particularly smoky flint notes and a fine fruity character

—	colour ranging from yellow to golden yellow

—	wines with special attributes from ‘Auslese’ to ‘Trockenbeerenauslese’ and ‘Eiswein’ are distinguished by a notable residual sugar content of at least 45 g/l, Noblesse complex wines

—	natural alcoholic strength: at least 17,7 % vol – 125 °Oe.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the provisions of the German Wine Law apply.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	5,5
Minimum total acidity	6 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	30
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)	400

Wine with the special attribute ‘Trockenbeerenauslese’

White wine made from Silvaner, Riesling and Weisser Burgunder vine varieties

Characteristics: great depth and body, twinned with elegance

—	buffered, integrated harmonious acid structure

—	well-integrated alcohol

—	minerality strongly characterised by Muschelkalk soils

—	fine fruity character specific to the vine variety

—	wines with particularly smoky flint notes and a fine fruity character

—	colour ranging from yellow to golden yellow

—	wines with special attributes from ‘Auslese’ to ‘Trockenbeerenauslese’ and ‘Eiswein’ are distinguished by a notable residual sugar content of at least 45 g/l, Noblesse complex wines

—	natural alcoholic strength: at least 21,5 % vol – 150 °Oe.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the provisions of the German Wine Law apply.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	5,5
Minimum total acidity	6 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	35
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)	400

Wine with the special attribute ‘Eiswein’

White wine made from Silvaner, Riesling and Weisser Burgunder vine varieties

Characteristics: great depth and body, twinned with elegance

—	buffered, integrated harmonious acid structure

—	well-integrated alcohol

—	minerality strongly characterised by Muschelkalk soils

—	fine fruity character specific to the vine variety

—	wines with particularly smoky flint notes and a fine fruity character

—	colour ranging from yellow to golden yellow

—	wines with special attributes from ‘Auslese’ to ‘Trockenbeerenauslese’ and ‘Eiswein’ are distinguished by a notable residual sugar content of at least 45 g/l, Noblesse complex wines

—	natural alcoholic strength: at least 17,7 % vol – 125 °Oe.

For analytical characteristics where no figure is given, the provisions of the German Wine Law apply.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	5,5
Minimum total acidity	6 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	30
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)	400

6. Wine making practices

a. Essential oenological practices

Wines with special attributes have a minimum residual sugar content of 45 g/l.

Otherwise, the authorised oenological practices set out in Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, Regulation (EC) No 606/2009 and national legislation apply to the production of wine with the ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ protected designation of origin.

b. Maximum yields

50 hectolitres per hectare

7. Demarcated geographical area

All the numbers given below relate exclusively to registered parcel numbers in the urban district of Würzburg, Bavaria.

The ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ PDO covers only areas entered in the vineyard register of the Würzburger Stein vineyard estate. The following paragraphs describe the definitive delimitation of the ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ PDO.

From the south-west corner of 7469 eastwards along Path 7468/1, along the eastern border of 5857 northwards as far as Path 5853/3, then eastwards as far as the eastern end of 5695.

To the north of 5695, westwards as far as the eastern border of 5689. From there, northwards along the eastern borders of 5689, 5687 and 5681.

From the northern border of 5681, western path 5679 to 5725/1 to the north, then along Paths 5727/0 and 5775/3 as far as the eastern border of 5775/0, then running southwards as far as Path 5783/0, then westwards as far as the eastern border of 5782/0, then northwards as far as 5782/2. Along 5782/2, 42 metres westwards to the end of the vineyard. From there, a straight line southwards as far as Path 5783. Along Paths 5783, 5553 and 5822 as far as 5830. Along Path 5834 in a westerly direction as far as the northern border of 7996. Along the northern border of 7996, 7996/2 and 5850 as far as Path 5852. Path 5852 southwards as far as Path 7468/1. Westwards as far as the western end of 7469. Western border of 7469 southwards 7468/1.

As such, the area of the ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ PDO enclosed by the plot numbers is a section of the Würzburger Stein vineyard, which is located within the territory of the Franken PDO in Bavaria’s Würzburg area. This delimited PDO area is distinctive because of its steepness, its proximity to the heat reservoir of the river and the prevailing bedrock made of Middle Muschelkalk, all of which mean that the quality of the PDO area is significantly different from that of the neighbouring parcels of the Würzburger Stein vineyard estate.

8. Main wine grapes variety(ies)

Weisser Riesling – Riesling, Riesling renano, Rheinriesling, Klingelberger

Weisser Burgunder – Pinot Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Weissburgunder

Grüner Silvaner – Silvaner, Sylvaner

9. Description of the link(s)

‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ comprises the best parcels of the Würzburger Stein vineyard estate. Sunny, very steep slope made of Muschelkalk stone. South-facing, shell-shaped site on the River Main, which acts as a heat reservoir.

The topography of ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ is characterised by a classic valley formation of point bars and cut banks, formed approximately two million years ago when the ancient River Main (‘Urmain’] changed direction and began to flow to the Rhine instead of to the Danube. The River Main’s unique meandering has carved out a particularly high-quality site for wine-growing on the cut bank. Due to its steep gradient and concave south-west orientation, ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ is one of the best-quality sites in Germany. Its immediate proximity to the river, combined in particular with the nearby urban microclimate of the city of Würzburg, gives ‘Würzburger Stein-Berg’ its own special microclimate, which has a decisive influence on the quality of the wines.

Soil consisting of weathering waste which is rich in humus, interspersed with layers of loam and clay. Soils with high water and heat absorption capacity. Altitude 190-285 m above sea level. Gradient 45-65 %. High exposure to sunlight. The River Main acts as a heat reservoir and reflects light energy. The thermal effect of the city of Würzburg improves the microclimate.

The geographical area described is set apart from the neighbouring parts of the Würzburger Stein estate by its average levels of Muschelkalk soils, its steep aspect and the associated dryness of the site. It comprises the steep south-facing slope of a ridge, which is not exposed to cold air from a higher plateau and therefore differs from the other vineyards in the surrounding area. The Muschelkalk stone has low pore volume, which gives it a high storage density and a high specific weight, resulting in a high capacity for heat storage. Its incline and southern aspect allow for the greatest exposure to heat possible. The interplay between environmental factors in the protected area (parent rock, soil type, microclimate, slope gradient and orientation, sunlight, protection from exposure to cold air and the proximity to the river) means that the wines are spicier, more demanding and saltier on the tongue than those from neighbouring plots. The aspect, incline, parent rock, type of soil and the River Main all interact in a unique manner and have an impact on the wines. The vines take up more minerals from the barren Muschelkalk soils with a high stone content than in vineyards outside the protected area. These minerals go on to shape the character of the wine. The warm microclimate allows for a long growing season, affording more time for the grapes and the resulting wines to develop aromas and take in minerals. Due to their gradient and orientation, the parcels’ exposure to heat is particularly high, and the vines are able to imbue the grapes and the resulting wines with plenty of aromas and ingredients. The wines produced from the grapes grown in the area are mellow, harmonious, round and deep, with fragrances and flavours of flint.

The ridge of the protected area shields it from the cold air, which would otherwise shorten the vines’ growing period and limit the grapes’ ripening period. For this reason, historically, and throughout centuries of ancient cultivation, the registered part of the vineyard was the original part of Würzburger Stein and the origin of its name – Würzburger Stein-Berg.

By limiting the yield to a maximum of 5 000 litres per hectare per year and restricting production to three vine varieties (Silvaner, Riesling and Weißer Burgunder), producers ensure a consistently high quality of wines from the protected area and a clearly defined vine variety profile. These three varieties best reflect the terroir of the area. For wines from vineyards in the surrounding area, more than 70 vine varieties are permitted, as well as a higher yield of 10 800 litres per hectare per year.

The specificity of the wines from the protected area has been described and verified in Franconian literature for hundreds of years.

The winegrowers’ centuries of experience with the location and the wines from the protected area have shaped the flavour of the wines. The methods for producing quality wines have been defined by tradition and sustainability for hundreds of years. Countless awards and honours at national and international level are proof of the wines’ high quality.

The terroir therefore exhibits a specific combination of factors that influence the wines: the Middle Muschelkalk geology from the Triassic Period and the resulting soils, the specific and unique topography (exposure, gradient, proximity to the river and the city) and the resulting microclimate, and finally the centuries of sustainable cultivation on the steep slope using the classic Riesling, Silvaner and Weißer Burgunder vine varieties from old, optimally maintained vineyards and with limited yields.

10. Essential further conditions

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Derogation concerning production in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

Wines may only bear the protected designation of origin if the processed grapes come from vines that were planted in the protected area at least 8 years ago.

Because of their better root penetration, vines that are at least 8 years old guarantee a higher and more stable quality of wine under different growing conditions. There is no minimum vine age for wines from neighbouring parcels outside the protected area. The same applies to the entire wine-growing region.

Link to the product specification

www.ble.de/eu-qualitaetskennzeichen-wein

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.