The German Agricultural Society (''Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft''), commonly known as DLG, is an international non-profit organisation serving the

agricultural industry Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. DLG was founded in 1885 by Max Eyth, has over 23,000 members as of 2011 and is headquartered in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. Its main purpose is to promote technical progress and scientific advances in the food and agricultural industry, including setting standards.German Agricultural Society: About the German Agricultural Society
, read on January 1, 2008

Activities

The main activities of DLG are: * Arrangement of seminars and other educational activities for its members * Advise to members * Publication of books and magazines related to the food and agriculture industry * Testing of food and

beverage A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

products, including

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

, which may qualify for a "DLG Award" which can then be displayed on the product. * Testing of

agricultural machinery Agricultural machinery relates to the machine (mechanical), mechanical structures and devices used in farming or other agriculture. There are list of agricultural machinery, many types of such equipment, from hand tools and power tools to tractor ...

* Participation in international

trade fair A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...

s The DLG organises agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions such as Agritechnica, EuroTier,

Anuga FoodTec Anuga FoodTec (official subtitle: "International Supplier Fair for the Food and Beverage Industry") is a trade fair for the food and beverage industry. It covers aspects of food production including process technology, filling and packaging t ...

, PotatoEurope, and DLG Field Days. File:DLG-Ballon DLG-Feldtage 2010.jpg, DLG balloon at DLG Field Days 2010 File:Agritechnica 2011-by-RaBoe-45.jpg,

Unimog The Unimog (pronunciation in American English: ''YOU-nuh-mog''; British English: ''YOU-knee-mog''; German: , ) is a Daimler Truck line of multi-purpose, highly offroad capable AWD vehicles produced since 1948. Utilizing engine-driven power tak ...

at Agritechnica 2011

Wine activities

In the area of

German wine German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Celts and Ancient Rome, Roman eras. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the st ...

, DLG has been responsible for devising the assessment scale used for official

classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...

as well the medals and awards that are handed out regionally and nationally. This is a five-point scale where the wines are assessed blind (i.e., the tasters don't know the identity of the wine in the glass) by a panel and given points in the three categories bouquet ("nose"), taste and harmony. The category "harmony" refers to all sensory impressions, including color, and is concerned with the overall

balance Balance may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...

between

sweetness Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones ...

, acidity, alcohol and "body"/

mouthfeel Mouthfeel refers to the physical sensations in the mouth caused by food or drink, making it distinct from taste. It is a fundamental sensory attribute which, along with taste and smell, determines the overall flavor of a food item. Mouthfeel i ...

of the wine. Each category is assessed on the scale 0-5 (fractional points may be awarded), and the points given are then averaged, with the same weight given to the three categories. For a wine to be given its quality control test number ( A.P. Number for ''Amtliche Prüfung'') necessary to display a ''Prädikat'' designation of the

German wine classification The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented by the German Wine Law of 1971. Nearly all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approxi ...

, a minimum of 1.5 out of 5 is necessary in all three categories, otherwise the wine is denied a classification.German Wine Institute: Quality control testing
read on January 1, 2008

References

External links

* {{Authority control Agriculture in Germany German wine Wine industry organizations 1885 establishments in Germany Organizations established in 1885 Scientific societies based in Germany