Origin and approval number
What does Sekt b.A. mean?
Sekt b.A. stands for Sekt bestimmter Anbaugebiete (Sekt of a specific growing region): a quality sparkling wine with protected designation of origin, whose grapes come from one of the 13 German wine regions. It requires an official approval number, at least 10% alcohol, and a sparkling wine bottle with a wire cage.
Sekt b.A.: what the abbreviation on the label promises
On the label, the name of the region usually appears right next to the abbreviation, for example Rheingau, Mosel, or Saale-Unstrut. That's exactly where the promise lies. The grapes for the base wine were harvested in this one region, and the finished Sekt has passed an official inspection. Under EU law, this corresponds to a quality sparkling wine with protected designation of origin — the same legal tier as Champagne, Cava, or Prosecco.
The 13 German wine regions qualify: Ahr, Baden, Franken, Hessische Bergstraße, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, and Württemberg. A Sekt labeled simply "Sekt" makes no such promise. It is likewise a quality sparkling wine, but its base wine can come from any EU country. The next stop shows how to tell the three tiers of origin apart on the label.
How does a Sekt b.A. get its approval number?
The wine law is clear on this point. A quality sparkling wine produced domestically may only be called Sekt b.A. if it has been granted an official approval number upon application. The producer submits bottles to the responsible testing authority in its federal state. In the laboratory, among other things, alcohol, residual sugar, acidity, and carbon dioxide are measured; afterward a panel of trained tasters assesses the Sekt blind and awards points for aroma, taste, and harmony.
If the Sekt passes both parts, it receives its number, which appears on the label as A.P. Nr. or approval number. It's not a random string. In Rhineland-Palatinate, for example, the first digit stands for the testing authority, followed by codes for the municipality and the estate, a sequential bottling number, and finally the two digits of the year the application was filed. Other states structure the number slightly differently. Reading the last two digits tells you the year of approval, not the vintage of the grapes.
What rules apply to alcohol, pressure, and aging?
The technical minimum requirements come from EU law and apply to all quality sparkling wines with protected origin. A Sekt b.A. needs at least 10% vol actual alcohol, including the dosage liqueur, and at 20 °C a pressure of at least 3.5 bar. Only bottles under 25 cl may get by with 3 bar. From the start of the second fermentation, production must take at least six months if the Sekt ferments in a tank, and nine months for bottle fermentation.
Fermentation and contact with the lees together must last at least 90 days, or 30 days in tanks with stirring devices. One detail surprises many: Sekt b.A. says nothing about the method. A Riesling Sekt from the Pfalz may be fermented in a pressure tank and still carry this designation. Anyone expecting bottle fermentation must look for the corresponding term on the label, explained in the fourth stop of this journey.
Wire cage, Crémant, steep slope: what only a Sekt b.A. is allowed
With origin come obligations and rights. The obligations include presentation under Paragraph 33a of the German wine regulations: glass sparkling wine bottle, mushroom-shaped stopper, wire cage, and foil. In Franken and Baden, a Sekt b.A. may even be bottled in the Bocksbeutel, the flat, round-bellied bottle typical of these regions.
The rights include three terms that other German sparkling wines may not use. Crémant is permitted for Sekt b.A. if the EU conditions are met. Steillage (steep slope) may be stated if the grapes come from slopes with at least a 30% gradient. And Winzersekt is a special form of Sekt b.A. made from the grower's own grapes, with traditional bottle fermentation, grape variety, and vintage. Its rules are covered in the journey on Sekt in Germany, with Crémant and steep slope wines following in their own stops.