A.P.
On each Quality wine label there will be a number called the amliche prufungs number.
This number is an Official Quality testing number given to wines that have passed ridged testing and tasting examinations.
The number can be deciphered and the wine traced back to its origins.
If a bottle is found to be not up the standard it is supposed to be, it can be traced back to the original tasting panel and a spare bottle kept of each sample.
The number is broken down into five parts:
2 596 401 5 03
The AP number contains the following information: 2 596 401 5 03 - The first digit, 2, represents the village testing station in which the wine was tasted. 2 in this case designates the village of Bernkastel. The following three digits, 596, represent the village where the estate is located, in this case 596 designates the village of Piesport. The third set of digits, 401, represent the grower identification number, grower's id number is 429 (this number is directly linked to the village number). The second to last digit, 5, is simply a number representing the order in which the estate presented its wine to the tasting panel. The last group of digits, 03, represent what year the wine was presented for approval, in this case 2003.
The testing stations are
1 Koblenz
2 Bernkastel
3 Trier
4 Alzey
5 Neustadt
6 Bad Kreuznach
7 Bad Kreuznach
