Ortswein (village wine)
German: Ortswein Pronunciation: orts-wein Also known as: Village wine
Middle VDP tier: wine from sites of one named village, meant to show the character of that parish.
Ortsweine come from the vineyards of a named municipality. In the VDP quality system they stand between Gutswein and Lagenwein. Unlike single-vineyard wines, it is not the individual plot but the village that is named as origin.
The idea behind it is that soils and microclimate of a village visibly shape the wine and differ from those of the neighbouring village. Ortsweine often offer a good ratio of typicity and price. The concept is inspired by the origin systems of Burgundy, where village appellations form a tier of their own.
Related terms
Single vineyard siteGutswein (estate wine)Lagenwein (single-vineyard wine)VDP (association of German Prädikat wine estates)
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