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Cabinet

Term formerly used in Germany and Austria to classify a particularly outstanding wine, a so-called Kreszenz. The origin of the term is a Cistercian wine cellar built in 1245 in Eberbach Monastery (municipality of Eltville-Hattenheim in the Rheingau). The term cabinet is derived from a cellar compartment in which the best wines were stored (French cabinet = adjoining room; the term treasure chamber has a similar meaning). It was first used in 1712 to designate a wine as reserve quality. This historic cellar is still called "Cabinet-Keller" today. Such wines were not allowed to be enriched with sugar (for the purpose of increasing alcohol).

Cabinet - Kloster Eberbach Cabinet-Keller

However, the designation "Cabinet" has also been added to the predicate wine names, for example "Riesling Spätlese Cabinet". On its own, Cabinet was also used as an alternative name for naturally pure. Since the 1971 vintage, however, Cabinet is no longer permitted under German wine law. Auslesen, Spätlese etc. were not allowed to be enriched even before 1971. In Germany and Austria there is the wine quality level Cabinet, which is derived from the term, which means among other things "smaller museum room (own cellar compartment) with particularly valuable objects" (outstanding wines). See also under special wines.

Cabinet Cellar: from user Uli on wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

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Dominik Trick

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Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg

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