Apfelwein (
German,
apple wine) is a
German variant of
cider made out of
apples. It is also regionally known as
Ebbelwoi,
Äppler,
Stöffsche,
Apfelmost (apple must),
Viez (from
Latin vice, the second or substitute wine), and
Saurer Most (sour must). It has an
alcohol content of 5.5%–7% and a tart, sour taste. The name
Äppler, mainly propagated by large producers, is generally not used in restaurants or by smaller manufacturers who instead call the beverage
Schoppen or
Schoppe which refers to the measure of the glass.
Since it is usually a bit cloudy, Apfelwein is often served in a "Geripptes", a glass with a lozenge cut that refracts light.
At any rate, the size of the Geripptes glass is usually 0.25 litre although there is a larger variant that holds 0.3 litre, as well as a glass that holds the doubled amount of 0.5 litres. Delivered by major pressing-houses in 1-litre bottles, it is considered crude and unrefined to drink Apfelwein directly from the serving vessel, whether it be a bottle or a pitcher (Bembel).
Traditional Apfelwein restaurants and their habitual guests generally hold to the 0.3-litre standard. Therefore a 0.25l glass is often named a Beschisserglas (rip-off glass) as it contains less Apfelwein for the same price. The serving of Apfelwein in other kinds of glasses (for example, longdrink glasses) is rare. A "Geripptes" filled with Apfelwein is also called a "Schoppen". The serration of the Apfelwein glasses is common not only for the pleasing refraction of incident light but also because in former times one often ate without cutlery—and smooth glasses slide from greasy hands rather more easily than serrated ones.
