What does Erste Lage designate in the VDP system?

What does Erste Lage designate in the VDP system?

• A. A regional wine category.
• B. A top single-vineyard designation.
• C. A village designation.
• D. A multi-vineyard designation.

Answer: (B)

Erste Lage signals a premier single-vineyard site within the VDP system. Lage means site, and Erste marks the top tier of those sites, so a wine labeled Erste Lage comes from one distinguished vineyard and is intended to express that specific terroir with elevated quality. This makes it the top designation for a single vineyard, higher than village or regional wines, and it sits below the absolute top Große Lage, which can encompass multiple top sites. In practice, you’d expect a terroir-driven, highly concentrated expression from Erste Lage. The other broad categories would be regional Gutswein or village Ortswein, or the multi-vineyard Große Lage.

Erste Lage signals a premier single-vineyard site within the VDP system. Lage means site, and Erste marks the top tier of those sites, so a wine labeled Erste Lage comes from one distinguished vineyard and is intended to express that specific terroir with elevated quality. This makes it the top designation for a single vineyard, higher than village or regional wines, and it sits below the absolute top Große Lage, which can encompass multiple top sites. In practice, you’d expect a terroir-driven, highly concentrated expression from Erste Lage. The other broad categories would be regional Gutswein or village Ortswein, or the multi-vineyard Große Lage.