Hock (wine)
Encyclopedia
Hock is an English
term for German wine
, sometimes wine
from the Rhine regions and sometimes all German wine. It is short for the now obsolete word hockamore. The term is a corruption of the name of the German
town of Hochheim
on the Main river in the Rheingau
wine region. The term seems to have been in use in the 17th century, initially for wines from middle Rhine, but in the 18th century became used as a term for any German wine sold in Britain. It seems probable that Queen Victoria's visit to Hochheim and its vineyards during harvest time in 1850 has contributed to the continued use of the term hock.
, in a similar way to claret
. In Australia
, it is still known as the main ingredient of an old-fashioned but cooling summer drink named 'hock, lime and lemon'.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
term for German wine
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 Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
, sometimes wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
from the Rhine regions and sometimes all German wine. It is short for the now obsolete word hockamore. The term is a corruption of the name of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
town of Hochheim
Hochheim am Main
Hochheim am Main is a town in the Main-Taunus district of the state of Hessen, Germany. It is located near the right bank of the Main River three miles above the branch into the Rhine, as well as on the German Framework Road....
on the Main river in the Rheingau
Rheingau (wine region)
Rheingau is one of 13 German wine regions for quality wines . Named for the traditional region of Rheingau , the wine region is situated in the state of Hesse, where it makes up part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district...
wine region. The term seems to have been in use in the 17th century, initially for wines from middle Rhine, but in the 18th century became used as a term for any German wine sold in Britain. It seems probable that Queen Victoria's visit to Hochheim and its vineyards during harvest time in 1850 has contributed to the continued use of the term hock.
Modern usage
Today the term hock is occasionally seen on bottles of (mostly cheap) wine in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, in a similar way to claret
Claret
Claret is a name primarily used in British English for red wine from the Bordeaux region of France.-Usage:Claret derives from the French clairet, a now uncommon dark rosé and the most common wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century...
. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, it is still known as the main ingredient of an old-fashioned but cooling summer drink named 'hock, lime and lemon'.