Edelzwicker

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The Zwicker or Edelzwicker is a light, dry white wine from Alsace , which is blended from several grape varieties as a cuvée .

As for the origin of the name, there is the assumption that the "pinching" of the wine is about the acidity (sour). Another guess goes back to the blending. In this sense, “pinching off” means using only part of the wine - blending. In the past, a distinction was made between Zwicker , which consists of simple grape varieties Gutedel (Chasselas) and Silvaner , and Edelzwicker , which consists of "noble" types of wine. Today everything operates under the name Edelzwicker . In addition to the mainly used grape varieties Gutedel and Sylvaner, Riesling , Pinot Gris ( Tokay d'Alsace ), Pinot Blanc ( Pinot blanc ) and Gewürztraminer can also be used for the Edelzwicker .

The Edelzwicker became very popular in Germany in the 1970s in a group of people who preferred a dry white wine over the sweet local wines. Due to the success of the Edelzwicker, more and more high-quality dry wines were made in Germany from the 1980s onwards. In addition, from the end of the 1980s, a new fashion wine from Italy, the Pinot grigio , pushed into the market. This and the neglected quality of the Edelzwicker practically led to its being forgotten in Germany. It is still widely drunk in Alsace.