Deutsche, means literally ‘German’, thus Deutscher Wein is what appears on the labels of Germany’s wine without geographical indication (once called Tafelwein); Deutscher Sekt is that relative rarity, a sekt or sparkling wine made in Germany that is actually made of German wine; and the Deutsche Weinstrasse is a particularly famous route through the vineyards of the pfalz region in Germany.
The Deutsches Weinsiegel, or German Wine Seal, is a significant award made to superior bottlings assessed by blind tasting panels, but only after the wine has been awarded an official ap number. Award-winning bottles can be identified by a large, round paper seal on the bottle-neck: a yellow seal for dry wines, green for medium dry, and red for other styles. These awards, and a national competition, are held under the auspices of the Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft, or DLG, an agricultural society formed in the late 19th century to encourage quality and agricultural expertise. Prize-winning bottles carry gold, silver, or bronze strips across the neck.
