How to Decode German Wine Labels

On one of our first trips to Germany we learned the truth about Riesling: Not all Riesling is sweet. German Rieslings run across the spectrum and can range from bone dry to intensely sweet, but then the question is: how do you know from looking at a label what’s dry and what’s sweet?

Luckily, German Rieslings often include a scale on the back of the label to help you determine the sweetness level. But, if it’s not written on the label, you’ll find clues.

The German word “Trocken” anywhere on the wine label tells you it’s a dry wine, but you can also look at the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) percentage to get a good sense of the sweetness.

When wine goes through the fermentation process, sugars are converted to alcohol, so higher alcohol means lower residual sugars and the drier the wine will be. And vice versa, with lower alcohol, more sugars remain, and the wine will be sweeter.

The Riesling grape is known for its high acidity, so many times, even a lower alcohol wine which would generally tell you that it’s on the sweeter side, is balanced by the high acidity, and the Riesling will taste drier on your palate.

Get to Know German Wine

One of the best ways to get to know German wines is to drink them. Purchase several with different sweetness levels and taste them side-by-side to get a better feel for your preferences. An even better way for learning is to visit the German wine regions for first-hand experiences.

And if you’re looking for wine pairings, a semi-sweet or sweet Riesling will pair wonderfully with spicy foods: try spicy chicken wings, Szechuan pepper dishes, or Korean kimchi.

A Guide to Understanding the German Wine Classification System

Even wine pros have difficulty wrapping their heads around the German system. It’s less complicated than it looks: everything rests on how ripe the grapes were at harvest and the wine’s sugar content.

The system is divided into two main categories: Quality Wines and Table Wines. Quality Wines are further divided into Prädikatswein and Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA), each with their own set of classifications.

Use our pyramid graphic below to help get a visual of the quality levels, and we’ll start explaining the categories from the bottom to the top.

Landwein

Deutscher Landwein is Germany’s table wine category made from ripe and slightly under-ripe grapes. Primarily consumed in Germany, very little is exported, so you’ll likely only find this category of wine if you visit Germany.

Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA)

Wines in the Qualitätswein category must be produced within one of the 13 wine-growing regions of Germany, and they have to meet certain requirements regarding grape variety, ripeness, and alcohol content.

The grapes are at a fairly low level of ripeness and range from dry to semi-sweet. The style is often indicated on the label, along with the designation Qualitätswein and the region.

Prädikatswein

These are the highest-quality wines in Germany. They are classified according to the ripeness of the grapes at harvest and include the following six categories in ascending order of ripeness:

Kabinett

Kabinett wines are made from fully ripened grapes picked at normal harvest time. This term may have originated as indicating the winemaker felt it was good enough to put in his own cabinet rather than offer it for sale.

Spätlese

Spätlese (translates to “late harvest”) wines are made from riper grapes picked at a later stage in the harvest. The later grapes are harvested, the more sugar is able to develop in the grape on the vine. However, the winemaker may choose to fully ferment the wine dry, in which case you will typically see “Spätlese Trocken” on the label.

Auslese

Auslese (translates to “select harvest”) indicates a wine made from hand-selected, very ripe grapes.

Beerenauslese (BA)

Beerenauslese (BA) (“berry select harvest”) wines are made from individually selected, overripe berries that usually were infected by botrytis cinerea or noble rot. These are rarities, harvested only when exceptional weather conditions enable the grapes to ripen to this extent. They are notable for their longevity and can age for decades.

Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA)

Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) (“dry berry select harvest”) wines also have extraordinary longevity. These rare and treasured wines are made from individually selected grapes that are overripe and dried up almost to raisins, usually infected by noble rot and picked very late in the season. BA and TBA cannot be harvested mechanically, and each berry must be picked individually by hand, which means the wines can command impressive prices because of the costs involved in producing the wine.

Eiswein

Eiswein (“ice wine”) is made from grapes as ripe as Beerenauslese that have frozen on the vine. They are harvested only under exact weather conditions and pressed while frozen and produce a highly concentrated and sweet wine. The pressings give only a tiny yield and coupled with the gamble a winemaker takes in hopes the weather cooperates, this wine is a rarity.

These days we keep bottles from across the sweetness spectrum on hand. A dry Kabinett with roasted pork, a Spätlese with anything spicy: finding the dish that makes the wine shine turned out to be its own pleasure.