Ferdinand Oechsle

Christian Ferdinand Oechsle (December 26, 1774 – March 17, 1852) was a German mechanical workshop owner, goldsmith and inventor.

He is most noted for developing a method for measuring the must weight of the grape must in winemaking. The Oechsle scale, named after him and divided into degrees Oechsle (°Oe), is still used for official classification of German wine, Swiss wine and Luxembourg wine.

Biography Oechsle was born in Buhlbach at Baiersbronn in the northern part of the Black Forest area, the son of Israel Oechsle, a master glass blower, and Christina Juditha Lieb.

When Oechsle started mass-producing his hydrometers, sweet wines from very ripe grapes were established as the top echelon of German wines since a few decades. This development followed the accidental discovery of the first Spätlese wine in 1775, and the introduction of the Auslese designation in 1787. It was therefore attractive to winemakers to be able to easily measure and classify the sugar content of the grape musts.

Personal life Oechsle married Karoline Wilhelmine Friederike Gmelin (born February 18, 1778) on December 8, 1803 and they had five children.

Publications Über den Gebrauch der Most- und Weinwaage ("On the use of must and wine balances"), 1836 Praktische Anleitung zum Berechnen der Goldlegierung ... ("Practical manual for calculating gold alloys..."), 1844 Kleines Handbuch für Goldarbeiter ("Small handbook for goldworkers"), 1860