How To Read A German Wine Label Like A Sommelier

Before diving in, it's important to note that many wine-producing European nations including Italy, Spain, and Germany, use a pyramid classification system for their wines. This dates back to 2009 when the European Union changed the law around wine labeling requirements to help improve the quality and transparency of different wines. 

The new rule categorized wine into three groups. These are, in ascending order: Wines that have their grapes sourced from anywhere in the country (commonly known as table wines), wines that have been made with at least 85% of grapes sourced from a specific area (called Protected Geographical Indication or PGI wines), and wines made with 100% of grapes from a specific area (called Protected Designation of Origin or PDO wines). To make matters even more confusing, each country uses its own language to designate each tier.

Judging any wine by its label is no easy task, and this is doubly true when it's written in a foreign language. What's more, German wine labels have a particularly bad reputation. Some of the terms are slightly confusing, and the numbers seem intimidating at first glance. But once you get the hang of it, finding an off-dry German riesling is child's play.

German wines can be placed into one of the following three groups. The first is tafelwein or landwein (which refer to "table wines"), these are wines of the lowest quality. Next is qualitätswein or QbA. This is wine made with grapes that come from one of the country's 13 approved growing regions. Finally, there is prädikatswein or QmP, (which is code for outstanding or excellent wines). The majority of German wines imported to the United States fall under the prädikatswein distinction. 

To further differentiate between prädikatswein, this group is split into five tiers which refer to how ripe the grapes used to make them were when harvested. The ripeness level is determined by the amount of sugar present in the grapes. Kabinett is the lowest prädikatswein tier boasting the least amount of ripeness. Wines with this label traditionally have a light to medium body. A spätlese is wine made with grapes that were on the vines for longer than those used to make kabinett, producing deeper flavors, a fragrant nose, and a higher concentration of alcohol. Next is auslese. With even more time on the vine, the grapes used to make this wine impart very intense flavors. 

The top two tiers in the prädikatswein pyramid are considered dessert wines, due to their immense sweetness. A beerenauslese label, meaning "selected harvest berries," is made using very ripe grapes. The top tier, trockenbeerenauslese, refers to wine that's made from hand-picked grapes that have become extremely ripe and dry thanks to infection with Botrytis cinerea fungi. These dessert wines are very highly coveted. 

Now that you know the different ripeness levels of German prädikatswein, the other thing to unravel is whether or not the wine is dry or sweet. Thankfully, it's a little easier to interpret this. If you see the term "trocken" on a German wine label, that means the wine is dry, with little to no detectable sugar. Halbtrocken means "half-dry," so it falls somewhere between not quite dry, but not exactly sweet. It's a happy, balanced medium.

If you don't see either of those terms, it's time to check the alcohol percentage in the wine. Generally, if a German wine has more than 10% ABV, it's probably going to taste dry. If the alcohol content is 10% or less, it's generally going to taste sweet. If all else fails, look for a sliding scale on the back of the wine. It will have "dry, medium dry, medium sweet, and sweet" categories with an arrow pointing to where that particular wine falls.

A couple other helpful identifiers on German wine labels: The vintage refers to the year the grapes were picked. So, a 2019 vintage means the grapes were harvested in 2019. The region is the place where the grapes are grown. Common German wine regions include: Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz, Baden, Franken, Nahe, and Rheinhessen. Lastly, the variety tells you the type of grape used to create the wine. Riesling is a classic white German grape typically grown in Mosel, while spätburgunder (pinot noir) and dornfelder (indigenous to Germany) are well-known red grapes that are grown across the country. Armed with these tips, you're ready to select a German wine like a real sommelier, just make sure you also choose the right wine class. Prost!