🍷 Federweisser
Cloudy, partly fermented young wine, sweet and fizzy, drunk in autumn.
Federweisser is a young, cloudy wine that has not finished fermenting. It is made from the current year's grapes and drunk in early autumn, during harvest. It is a seasonal drink and appears in shops and at fairs only for a short time.
The wine is cloudy because yeast is still floating in it. It is sweet and slightly fizzy: the fizz is carbon dioxide from the ongoing fermentation. Strength is usually 4–10% and grows day by day as yeast turns sugar into alcohol. So taste and strength change even in an open bottle. It is best kept cool, and in a tightly sealed container it can build up pressure.
Federweisser is linked to young wine, burchak and fermenting must, which are similar drinks in different countries. It is known in Germany, Austria, Czechia and Slovakia. Names vary by country.
What it includes
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Federweisser ← similar ← 🍷 New wine → kind of → 🍷 Types of wine → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 New wine
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ German wine, 🗺️ Austrian wine, 🗺️ Czech wine, 🗺️ Slovak wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 New wine, 🍷 Burčiak, 🍷 Partially fermented grape must, 🍷 New wine still in fermentation
Frequently asked questions
What is Federweisser?
A young, cloudy, partly fermented wine, sweet and fizzy, drunk in autumn.
How much alcohol does it have?
Usually 4–10%, rising as fermentation continues.
Why should it not be kept in a tightly sealed bottle?
Fermentation goes on and releases gas, so pressure can build up.
What to read next
- 🗺️ German wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🍷 Burčiak — A Slovak and Czech young wine that is still fermenting.
- 🗺️ Austrian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🗺️ Czech wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🗺️ Slovak wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grape varieties, appellations.
Similar
🍷 Heuriger · 🍷 New wine still in fermentation · 🍷 New wine · 🍷 Burčiak · 🍷 Lieblich · 🍷 Süß
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- Wikidata
- Wikipedia (en)
- Wikipedia (de)
- Wikipedia (fr)
- Wikipedia (es)
- Wikipedia (pt)
- Wikipedia (uk)
- OIV, International Code of Oenological Practices
- Austrian Wine Marketing Board