Luxembourg wine is primarily produced in the southeastern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

, with vineyards overlooking the Moselle River

Moselle River

The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine, joining the Rhine at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our....

. Along this river, which for 42 km makes up part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, wine is made in three countries

Moselle wine

Moselle wine is produced in three countries along the Moselle river: France, Luxembourg and Germany. Moselle wines are mainly white and are made in some of the coldest climates used for commercial winemaking.-France:...

. There is a continuous history of winemaking along Moselle and in Luxembourg going back to Ancient Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 times. Wine production in 2006/07 was 123,652 hectoliter from 1237 hectares (3,056.7 acre) of vineyards. Out of total wine exports of 87,776 hectoliter in 2005/06, 71,726 hectoliter or 82% was exported to nearby Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Exports to Germany was the second largest at 8,168 hectoliter, or 9%, and is to a large extent made up of base wine in bulk for the production of blended Sekt rather than being sold bottled with "Luxembourg" anywhere on the label. Therefore, very little Luxembourg wine is seen outside Luxembourg and Belgium.

In terms of volume, the wine production in Luxembourg is dominated by a number of winemaking cooperative

Winemaking cooperative

A winemaking cooperative is an agricultural cooperative which is involved in winemaking, and which in similarity to other cooperatives is owned by its members...

s. The cooperatives in Greiveldange

Greiveldange

Greiveldange is a small town in the commune of Stadtbredimus, in south-eastern Luxembourg. , the town has a population of 573....

, Grevenmacher

Grevenmacher

Grevenmacher is a commune with city status in eastern Luxembourg, near the border with Germany. It is the capital of the canton and the district of Grevenmacher...

, Remerschen

Remerschen

Remerschen is a former commune and small wine-growing town in south-eastern Luxembourg, belonging to the commune of Schengen, near the point where the borders of Germany, France and Luxembourg come together....

, Stadtbredimus

Stadtbredimus

Stadtbredimus is a commune and small town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher., the town of Stadtbredimus, which lies in the south-east of the commune, has a population of 676...

 and Wellenstein

Wellenstein

Wellenstein is a commune and small town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher. The commune's administrative centre is Bech-Kleinmacher....

 source their wines from over 800 hectares of vineyards (almost two thirds of Luxembourg's vineyard surface) and sell their wines under the common name of "Vinsmoselle". In addition, they operate a sparkling wine

Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...

 plant in Wormeldange

Wormeldange

Wormeldange is a commune and small town in eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Grevenmacher, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher....

, which produces wines under the label Poll-Fabaire.

Wine styles

Luxembourg mainly produces dry white wines and sparkling wine

Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...

 under the designation Crémant. There are also some rosé and red wines made, as well as some sweet wines.

In contrast to the downstream German wine region Mosel, Luxembourg has very little tradition of producing semi-sweet or sweet wines, despite a significant similarity in terms of grape varieties. Rather, the wines of Luxembourg have been produced as a kind of cold climate version of traditional, dry Alsace wine

Alsace wine

Alsace wine or Alsatian wine is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white. These wines, which for historical reasons have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées : Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand...

s.

Grape varieties

Common grape varieties in Luxembourg, and the vineyard surface they covered in 2006, are:

• Müller-Thurgau
  Müller-Thurgau
  Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
  
  , usually under the name Rivaner: 377.1 ha (29.0%)
• Auxerrois Blanc
  Auxerrois Blanc
  Auxerrois Blanc or Auxerrois Blanc de Laquenexy is a white wine grape that is important in Alsace, and is also grown in Germany and Luxembourg. It is a full sibling of Chardonnay that is often blended with the similar Pinot Blanc.-History:...
  
  : 184.2 ha (14.2%)
• Pinot Gris
  Pinot Gris
  Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
  
  : 177.5 ha (13.7%)
• Riesling
  Riesling
  Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
  
  : 165.8 ha (12.8%)
• Pinot Blanc
  Pinot Blanc
  Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit....
  
  : 143.1 ha (11.0%)
• Elbling
  Elbling
  Elbling is a variety of white grape which today is primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel region in Germany and in Luxembourg, the vineyards of which are also located along Moselle River...
  
  : 122.9 ha (9.5%)
• Pinot Noir
  Pinot Noir
  Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
  
  , the only red wine grape above 1%: 88.2 ha (6.8%)
• Gewürztraminer
  Gewürztraminer
  Gewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written '...
  
  : 18.8 ha (1.4%)
• Chardonnay
  Chardonnay
  Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
  
  : 14.8 ha (1.1%)

Classification

All official wine designations in Luxembourg are French language

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 terms, since this is the Grand Duchy's administrative language. One single appellation

Appellation

An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...

 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

French wine

French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...

 to classify

Classification of wine

The classification of wine can be done according to various methods including, but not limited to, place of origin or appellation, vinification methods and style, sweetness and vintage, or varietal used. Practices vary in different countries and regions of origin, and many practices have varied...

 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
  Late harvest wine
  Late harvest is a term applied to wines made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been naturally dehydrated while on the vine...
  
  , either naturally sweet or affected by botrytis
  Botrytis cinerea
  Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as botrytis bunch rot; in horticulture, it is usually called grey mould or gray mold.The fungus gives rise to two different kinds of...
  
  .
• Vin de glace is an ice wine
  Ice wine
  Ice wine is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more...
  
  , made from grapes harvested in the frozen state.
• Vin de paille is a straw wine
  Straw wine
  Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but suitable for warmer climates. The classic method dries clusters of grapes on mats of straw in the sun, but some regions dry them under...
  
  , made from dried grapes.

The exact requirements with regard to must weight

Must weight

Must weight is a measure of the amount of sugar in grape juice , and hence indicates the amount of alcohol that could be produced if it is all fermented to alcohol, rather than left as residual sugar...

 is different for the three categories and depends on the grape variety, but falls in the range 95 to 130 degrees Oechsle.