How to Read German Wine Labels

German wine labels are remarkably difficult to understand, not just because the language is quite complex in and of itself, but because there seems to be somewhat of a lack of homogenization. Where across France, the largest differentiation between regional labels is established classification vs. terroir, the terminology remains the same. In Germany, every producer seems to have their own way of labeling wine.

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The German equivalent of Vino di Tavola, or Vin de France, is Landwein, or Deutches Wein which offers producers the flexibility of grape varietal and growing area of planting. There are also various aspects around Germany and aging specifications are up to each producer.

Qualitätswein is pretty self explanatory. These wines are generally dry, but there are a lot of semi-dry variations all the time. Delightful wines made from noble grapes like Riesling fit into this category as well, but must come from all around Germany’s thirteen wine regions, called anbaugebiete. These wines must be at least 7% alcohol by volume.

Prädikatswein

Prädikatswein must come from approved varietals from each of the thirteen regions called, again, anbaugebiete. Furthermore, they must come from one of thirty-nine different areas within the major regions, known as bereich. They must meet a minimum threshold alcohol level of 13%. Generally these wines show some levels of sweetness, though there is a continued focus towards dryer wines, which are becoming more difficult to produce due to the fact that the region has begun to warm, making sweet wine production easier.

Time of harvest is noted on the bottle via the prädikat system. Styles range from very sweet to dry. These prädikat do not necessarily indicate sweetness levels, they are harvest time indicators instead. They range generally from sweet to dry depending on vineyard site and producer.

Kabinett - Cabinet

These are semi-sweet generally though some producers make dry versions. They are fully ripe, but picked in line with the harvest. Cooler sites will make dry wines.

Spätlese - Late Harvest

Fully ripened off-dry wines from at least seven days after the normal harvest period, and directly after. These wines are generally on the sweeter side. They still show striking acidity and good minerality.

Auslese - Select Harvest

Semi-sweet wines made late in the harvest period, these must come late after the harvest. The grapes will some times be affected by botrytis, and this category marks the broadest amount of styles, though dry styles are rare.

Beerenauslese - Select Berry Harvest

Individually selected berries and bunches, most affected by botrytis, all of which must make extremely sweet wines, and are selected very late, sometimes a month after the harvest.

Trockenbeerenauslese - Dry Select Berry Harvest

These grapes are left on the vine so late they raisinate creating very rich sugars for the wines. These wines are honeyed desert wines of extreme sweetness and were at one point the most prized month all of the harvests.

Eiswein - Icewine

These grapes were left so long on the vine that they froze, and were picked as frozen raisins. These grapes have the most concentrated sweetness because the ice gathers water from the berries, and then evicts it from the final wine. The result is high alcohol, high sweetness desert wines and very low yields.

Dryness

Within the prädikat wine system, there are several infrequently used designations that serve to assist consumers in understating sweetness levels. Unfortunately these are relatively undefined, and honestly don’t mean much. So they’re practically useless, but here you go.

Trocken - Dry

Nine grams per liter of residual sugar - these are Coca-Cola levels. Dry doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing that it means to French regions per se. These wines can still show some off dryness depending on acidity levels.

Halbtocken - Half-Dry

These wines must contain below eighteen grams per liter of sugar. They are considered half-dry, or off-dry. They are weightier wines but generally not desert levels of dryness. A lot of acidity must be present, but the levels fluctuate into trocken territories depending on measured acidity.

Feinherb - Off-Dry

Not specifically defined.

Lieblich - Semi-Sweet

Usually not displayed on the label. Literally just means, none of the above.

Süß - Sweet

Usually not displayed on the label. Literally just means, none of the above.

Verband Deutcher Prädikastswein (VDP)

Confused enough yet? Okay let’s kick things up to another level. There is yet a totally separate optional designation for some of the country’s one hundred and fifty-seven top growers. Only prädikat-making wineries are allowed to join the Verband Deutcher Prädikastswein club. Only wineries that are members of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatswein club may use these following labeling techniques on their labels.

This winemaker’s club is an organization of some of Germany’s fine wineries. This organization helps to establish the various great growths, and best sites for winemaking in the country. They also help to simplify labels for consumers, although some winemakers are using a mix of both labeling systems which is really cool and helpful.

Grösses Gewächs (Grand Cru)

Yields must be under fifty hectoliters per hectare. Dry wines are labeled Grösses Gewächs. Wines will have a unique GG logo, and VDP eagle with grape bunch. These wines come from the greatest plots around Germany.

Erste Lage (Premier Cru)

These are so called premier cru sites, some of Germany’s nicest winemaking vineyards. Dry wines from these sites are labeled as Qualitätswein trocken, and generally will represent a definition of dry that is closer to the French. Dry winemakers can’t use their predicate designation with the VDP just yet.

Ortswein

The equivalent of village wines in France. They come from vineyard holdings in specific areas, or from distinguished vineyards, often some of them are dry versions of GG vineyards, or did not meet aging requirement. Some just stylistically meet more of the preferences of the winemaker than the appellation.

Gutswein

Allows producers in the VDP the most flexibility. These are just very high quality prädikatswein.

That's all,

~K