{{Short description|Classification of wine}} {{italictitle}} '''''Trocken''''', German for ''dry'', is a classification of German wine that indicates a wine that is dry rather than off-dry (''halbtrocken''), sweeter (''lieblich'') or sweet (''süß''). ''Trocken'' wines are not devoid of residual sugar, but have, at most, a few grams per liter, which can be perceptible but is not overtly sweet. ''Trocken'' is also a designation for Austrian wine, but more rarely used there than in Germany, since many quality categories of Austrian wines are dry by default.
Somewhat confusingly, for ''Sekt'' and other sparkling wines, ''trocken'' indicates a higher level of sugar than it does for non-sparkling wines. A ''Sekt trocken'' is best described as off-dry or semi-sweet, while a ''Sekt brut'' is completely dry.
==Requirements==
The maximum amount of sugar allowed for a ''trocken'' designation depends on the level of acid in the wine. For wine low in acid, a maximum of {{convert|4|g/L|sp=us}} sugar is allowed. If the acid level exceeds {{convert|2|g/L|sp=us}}, the sugar may exceed the acid level by 2 grams per liter, up to a maximum sugar content of {{convert|9|g/L|sp=us}}.<ref name="DWI">[http://www.deutscheweine.de/icc/Internet-EN/nav/022/02217d71-9ffe-401e-76cd-461d7937aae2 Deutsches Weininstitut: Sparkling wine (Sekt)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726003810/http://www.deutscheweine.de/icc/Internet-EN/nav/022/02217d71-9ffe-401e-76cd-461d7937aae2 |date=2011-07-26 }}, accessed on March 25, 2009</ref> Most high-quality German white wines have a high enough acidity to be allowed up to 9 grams per liter of sugar under the ''trocken'' level. When used, the requirements in Austria are exactly the same.<ref>[http://www.winesfromaustria.com/data/law1.html Wines from Austria: Quality Designations in Detail] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513065426/http://www.winesfromaustria.com/data/law1.html |date=2008-05-13 }}, accessed on March 25, 2009</ref>
===Sparkling wines=== When used for sparkling wine, the term ''trocken'' means a sugar content of {{convert|17|to|35|g/L|sp=us}}.<ref name="DWI"/> This parallels the term ''sec'' ("dry") in French, which indicates a sparkling wine of the same sugar level as ''trocken''. Drier wines are designated ''extra trocken'' at {{convert|12|to|20|g/L|sp=us}}, while completely dry sparkling wines are given the designation ''brut'' (0–15 g/L) or ''extra brut'' (0–6 g/L).
==Background== Until the invention of sterile filtration, most German wines were dry. Fermentation continued until all the sugar was consumed, leaving only miscellaneous unfermentable sugars. Only the occasional sweet rarity, made from extremely ripe grapes, kept any residual sugar. For most of the twentieth century, the style was typically sweeter low-alcohol wines. Only since about 1990 has ''trocken'' wine become popular, partly because many prefer it with food. Most exported German wine is still of the sweeter styles. While it appears in the term ''trockenbeerenauslese'', ''trocken'' in that case refers to the dried grapes, not the dryness of the resulting wine.
==References== {{reflist}} {{German wine}} Category:German wine Category:Wine classification Category:German words and phrases