🥃 Pfälzer Weinbrand
German brandy from the Palatinate, Germany's second-largest wine region; an EU protected name in category 5, brandy / Weinbrand, alongside the nationwide Deutscher Weinbrand.
Pfälzer Weinbrand is the EU protected name for German brandy from the Palatinate (Pfalz), Germany's second-largest wine region, between the Palatinate Forest and the Rhine. It belongs to category 5, brandy or Weinbrand: a wine distillate aged in oak, with a strength of at least 36% ABV. It is one of two German names in this category.
Protected name. In Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 Germany held two names in the brandy category: the nationwide Deutscher Weinbrand and the regional Pfälzer Weinbrand. That regulation entered into force on 20 May 2008; today the name applies under Regulation (EU) 2019/787. A neighbouring Austrian name in the same category is Wachauer Weinbrand.
What Weinbrand is. Under EU law, brandy (Weinbrand) is made from wine spirit or from a distillate of wine or fortified wine. It is aged for at least a year in oak containers of 1,000 l or more, or for six months in oak casks smaller than 1,000 l. The minimum strength is 36% ABV, and the German word Weinbrand may be used as an equivalent name for the category.
German rules. For Deutscher Weinbrand the German spirits ordinance requires more: at least 38% ABV, all of the wine distillate aged for at least 12 months in oak casks of up to 1,000 l, and no more than 20 g of sugar per litre. The Palatinate, crossed by the 85 km German Wine Route, is known above all for Riesling.
Why it matters. The name Pfälzer Weinbrand indicates origin in the Palatinate, not age: the category itself guarantees only minimum ageing of six months in small casks. The strength is at least 36% ABV. The WHO points out that no level of alcohol consumption is safe.
Facts
| EU category | brandy / Weinbrand (cat. 5 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787); protected name |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Regulation (EU) 2019/787; previously Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 |
| Raw material | wine spirit, distillate of wine or fortified wine |
| Minimum maturation | under EU law, at least 1 year in oak of 1,000 l or more, or 6 months in oak under 1,000 l |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | from 36% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Pfälzer Weinbrand → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Weinbrand, 🥃 Brandy
- Related to
- 📍 Palatinate, 🌍 Central Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Cognac, 🥃 Wachauer Weinbrand
Frequently asked questions
Is Weinbrand German cognac?
No. Only drinks from the French Cognac region may bear the name Cognac; Weinbrand is the German name for the EU brandy category.
Where is Pfälzer Weinbrand made?
The name is protected for brandy from the Palatinate, a wine region in south-western Germany between the Palatinate Forest and the Rhine.
What is the minimum strength of Pfälzer Weinbrand?
As for any EU brandy, at least 36% ABV; for the nationwide Deutscher Weinbrand it is at least 38% ABV.
How long is Weinbrand aged?
Under EU law, at least a year in oak containers of 1,000 l or more, or six months in oak casks smaller than 1,000 l.
How does Pfälzer Weinbrand differ from Deutscher Weinbrand?
Deutscher Weinbrand is a nationwide protected name, Pfälzer Weinbrand a regional one for the Palatinate; both sit in the EU brandy category.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Cognac — French AOC grape spirit from the Charente: double-distilled and aged at least 2 years in oak.
- 🌍 Central Europe — Curd cheese (quark), cheeses and butter in peasant cooking.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
Similar
🥃 Wachauer Weinbrand · 🥃 Brandy italiano · 🥃 Brandy del Penedés · 🥃 Côtes-du-Rhône wine spirit (Eau-de-vie de vin des Côtes-du-Rhône) · 🥃 Aguardente Vínica Bairrada · 🥃 Aguardente Vínica Lisboa
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex III as at 31.01.2020 (legislation.gov.uk): Germany — cat. 5 Brandy/Weinbrand: Deutscher Weinbrand, Pfälzer Weinbrand; Austria — Wachauer Weinbrand
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, Annex I as adopted (legislation.gov.uk): cat. 5 brandy or Weinbrand: from wine spirit, with or without wine distillate distilled at less than 94.8 %, or from wine/fortified wine distillate; matured at least one year in oak receptacles of 1 000 l or more, or six months in oak casks of less than 1 000 l; min. 36 %
- Alkoholhaltige Getränke-Verordnung (AGeV) § 2: Deutscher Weinbrand — all wine distillate matured at least twelve months in oak casks of up to 1 000 l; min. 38 % vol.; sugar max. 20 g/l (as invert sugar)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)