Workers' sparkling wine - the poor man's champagne

The German word "Arbeitersekt" means "workers' sparkling wine". It can have several meanings, and the word here also has regional connotations.

Workers' sparkling wine - the poor man's champagne
© Photo by ExplorerBob on Pixabay
15.08.2022

Arbeitersekt (Workers' sparkling wine) is - similar to the recently introduced goose wine - simply mineral water.

In the Ruhr area, however, it can also be beer, namely the pale varieties Pils or Export.

It is also used for spritzer, i.e. mineral water and wine mixed together.

In Berlin it is a synonym for Berliner Weiße.

In general, "Arbeitersekt" is a drink for the "little people" who cannot afford sparkling wine, but only mineral water or mineral water "enriched" with wine or, in the regional context, the typical after-work beer.