German wine labels to be more specific – and confusing?

A new regulation is likely to result in the reappearance of a host of top-quality vineyard names on the labels of wines grown in Mosel-Saar, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Nahe, Ahr and Mittelrhein, but the top growers' association points out that consumers will continue to be confused.

The federal state of Rheinland-Pfalz has passed a new wine designation regulation that requires a higher must weight for wines from single-vineyard appellations, and restricts terraced vineyard sites to Riesling and Spätburgunder. It also officially permits the declaration of origin for individual plots within single vineyards, as long as they are recorded in the land...