Old World
Germany wine
The world’s benchmark for Riesling, and a country whose labelling system rewards a little study more than almost any other.
Overview
Germany grows wine at the cool northern edge of what has historically been viable, which is precisely why it produces Riesling of a kind found nowhere else: low in alcohol, extremely high in acidity, and capable of ageing for decades.
German labelling has two systems running in parallel. National wine law defines quality levels including Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein, with the Prädikat tiers — Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein — based on the sugar level in the grapes at harvest. Separately, the VDP growers’ association operates a private vineyard classification. The two are not the same thing and should not be conflated.
A persistent misunderstanding is that a Prädikat term indicates sweetness in the finished wine. It indicates ripeness at picking. A Spätlese may be sweet or dry; if it is dry it will usually say trocken.
Among the coolest commercial viticulture in Europe, historically dependent on steep south-facing river slopes to gather enough heat. Warming has substantially changed what is possible.
Regions
cool · continental
Ahr
A tiny, very northerly red-wine region specialising in Spätburgunder on steep slate.
moderate · continental
Baden
Germany’s southernmost and warmest region, and its leading source of Pinot varieties.
continental · cool
Franken
A dry-wine region known for Silvaner and for its distinctive flask-shaped Bocksbeutel.
cool · continental
Mittelrhein
A tiny region on the dramatic Rhine gorge between Bingen and Koblenz, shrinking as the terraces become uneconomic.
cool · continental
Mosel
Extremely steep slate slopes above a winding river, producing the lightest and most delicate Riesling in the world.
cool · continental
Nahe
A geologically varied region between Mosel and Rheinhessen, producing precise and expressive Riesling.
moderate · continental
Pfalz
Germany’s warmest major region, producing riper dry Riesling and serious Pinot Noir.
cool · continental
Rheingau
A south-facing stretch of the Rhine producing Germany’s most structured, often dry Riesling.
moderate · continental
Rheinhessen
Germany’s largest wine region, historically associated with bulk wine and now with a serious quality revival.
continental · cool
Saale-Unstrut
One of the two most northerly wine regions in Germany, in the former East, on terraces above two rivers.
continental · cool
Sachsen
Germany’s smallest and most easterly region, on terraces along the Elbe near Dresden.
continental · moderate
Württemberg
Germany’s red wine region, around Stuttgart, where almost everything made is drunk locally.
Wines
Grapes grown here
Reading the label
Terms that appear on Germany labels, with the meaning they carry there specifically.
| Term | What it means | Legal status |
|---|---|---|
| Auslese | "Selected harvest" — individually chosen very ripe bunches, often with some botrytis. | legally defined |
| Beerenauslese (BA) | Individually selected botrytised berries — a concentrated dessert wine. | legally defined |
| Brut Nature → Doux | The EU sparkling wine sweetness scale — in which Extra Dry is sweeter than Brut. | legally defined |
| Contains sulfites | A mandatory allergen declaration, not a warning about quality. | legally defined |
| Eiswein | Wine from grapes frozen on the vine and pressed while still frozen. | legally defined |
| Kabinett | The lightest Prädikat level — a ripeness measure, not a sweetness one. | legally defined |
| Prädikatswein | The tier above Qualitätswein, subdivided by ripeness at harvest. | legally defined |
| Qualitätswein | Quality wine from one of the thirteen designated German regions. | legally defined |
| Spätlese | "Late harvest" — riper grapes than Kabinett, but not necessarily a sweeter wine. | legally defined |
| Trocken / Halbtrocken / Feinherb | Dry, off-dry, and an unofficial term for something in between. | partly defined |
| Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) | The highest Prädikat — shrivelled botrytised berries, and intensely sweet despite containing "trocken". | legally defined |
| VDP / Grosses Gewächs | A private growers’ association classification — not part of German wine law. | not defined |
| Weingut | An estate making wine only from its own grapes. | legally defined |
Sources
Sources consulted