Luxembourg Wine - Classification

Classification

All official wine designations in Luxembourg are French language terms, since this is the Grand Duchy's administrative language. One single appellation is used for all of Luxembourg: Moselle Luxembourgeoise. This designation, usually referred to as the Marque Nationale (national seal), indicates that the wine is made entirely from Luxembourgian grapes and fulfills certain requirements. The Marque Nationale was introduced in 1935.

Wines allowed the national seal can also carry three additional quality designations: Vin classé, Premier Cru or Grand Premier Cru, which have been used since 1959. These designations are awarded the individual wine after tasting by an official committee, which rates the wines on a 20-point scale.

• Wines that score less than 12 points are denied an official classification, and may not display the Marque Nationale.
• Wines that score a minimum of 12.0 points may be sold as Marque Nationale - Appellation Contrôlée. At this level, the wine can be evaluated before it is bottled.
• Wines that score 14.0-15.9 points after being bottled (i.e., at a second evaluation) are allowed the designation Vin classé in addition to Marque Nationale - Appellation Contrôlée.
• Wines that score a miniumum of 16.0 points after being bottled are allowed the designation Premier Cru.
• Wines that are allowed the Premier Cru designation may be submitted for a third tasting, and those wines which score a minimum of 18.0 points in this tasting are allowed the designation Grand Premier Cru.

Since the terms Premier Cru and Grand Cru are used in France to classify vineyards or wine estates, it has been suggested that the different use of these terms in Luxembourg is somewhat confusing to the consumer.

The Crémant de Luxembourg designation for sparkling wine is also awarded within the framework of the Marque Nationale, meaning e.g. that only domestic grapes are allowed in the production. Therefore, in difference to the classification used for French crémants, Crémant de Luxembourg is a special type of wine within the Moselle Luxembourgeoise appellation, rather than an appellation in its own right. Some sparkling wine produced in Luxembourg is just labelled Crémant and does not display the Marque Nationale. Such sparkling wines are produced partially or entirely from imported grapes, must or base wine.

There are three different classifications for sweet "speciality wines", differentiated by means of production:

• Vendanges tardives is a late harvest wine, either naturally sweet or affected by botrytis.
• Vin de glace is an ice wine, made from grapes harvested in the frozen state.
• Vin de paille is a straw wine, made from dried grapes.

The exact requirements with regard to must weight is different for the three categories and depends on the grape variety, but falls in the range 95 to 130 degrees Oechsle.