I’ve said it before, I think that German Rieslings are the most food friendly white wine out there!  Their blend of fruit, acidity and range of sweetness lends them a personality that works with so many food categories.  In addition, most are age worthy with some demonstrating the potential to go out 20 years. 

Despite the versatility of these wines, many are intimidated by the bottle label language and categorization of the wines.  Imagine the confusion if Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon were each segmented into many different categories depending upon level of sweetness or tannins!  That being said, there are some basics that should help you sort out some of the confusion and make it easier to interpret the label language or label speak.

German wine is graded according to its natural sugar content of its grapes at harvest.  This does not, necessarily, translate into the sugar content of the wine itself.  The sugar content is measured in Oechsle, each degree of which is equivalent to 2-2.5 g of sugar/liter.  In general, the higher the sugar content of the grapes at harvest, the higher the quality of the resulting wine.  So, it stands to reason that the sweetest German wines are often the greatest, according to their categorization.  As Germany resides in a northern climate, it makes sense that the best sites and producers will harvest the ripest grapes.  Nonetheless, don’t make the mistake of thinking that only sweet wines are the great ones.  There are many examples of off dry whites that are simply spectacular.  In fact, in the past, German wines were more fully fermented, thus reducing the sugar content while increasing the alcohol content and yielding superb dry and full bodied wines.

There are four levels of grape ripeness quality: Tafelwein, Landwein, QbA and QmP, the latter of which is subdivided into multiple levels.  Think of the structure as a pyramid with Tafelwein and Landwein at the base, QbA in the middle and QmP occupying the top third.  At the lowest degree of Oechsle, is the category of Tafelwein.  This translates into the German table wine and is produced with averagely ripe grapes and does not need to comply with many restrictions.  Very little of this wine leaves the country, ordinarily.  The table wine may be a blend from different EU countries or wine made in one member country from grapes harvested in another.  To be certain that you are drinking 100% German wine, check that the wine is certified by the “Deutscher.” 

Next up on the sweetness level is the Landwein.  This is a Deutscher Tafelwein from a specific region and the label must contain both terms.  This category must be made either as Trocken (dry) or Halbtrocken (off-dry), each with residual sugar limits.  This falls into the country wine category containing slightly more alcohol and sugar. 

QbA stands for Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete and designates a quality wine from one of 13 designated regions.  These wines must comply with regional appellation laws, are tested for compliance and receive what is known as an AP number.  The laws demand that the grapes used are from the designated growing region and have reached a certain level of ripeness.  Chaptalization, the process of adding sugar to the juice just prior to fermentation in order to increase the alcohol level, is permitted in all of the above wine categories and sweetened with Sussreserve (sterilized and largely unfermented grape juice).  These wines are largely produced from grapes that have not fully ripened.

The next several levels fall under what is known as the QmP or Qualitatswein Mit Pradikat (Quality Wine Affirmed by Ripeness).  We’ll work our way up from least to most “Oechsle.”  First up is Kabinett.  These are usually light bodied wines that can range from dry to sweet and are low alcohol (in the range of 7-9%).  Similar to the QbA category, these wines are made from grapes not yet fully ripened.  Trust me when I tell you that this does not detract from the quality and liveliness of these wines.  I adore the off dry style with a little sweetness to pair with spicy Asian cuisine.  Keep an eye out for producers such as Robert Eymael (Monchhof), Leitz, and Dr. Loosen. 

Spatlese, translated “late harvest,” is made from fully ripened grapes picked after the normal harvest.  Keep in mind that “late” is a relative term here as harvest is early in the northern clime of Germany.  Potentially, this allows the grapes to ripen further and dry, concentrating the flavors.  They are richer than the Kabinett and can be consumed as a stand alone, with spicy foods, with dishes accented with fruit sauces such as ham or pork and with richer seafood such as scallops and lobster.  As with Kabinett, the style can range from dry to sweet.  Look for names such as JJ Prum, Fritz Haag, Donnhoff, and Leitz. 

Moving up in the grape sugar levels, we arrive at the Auslese.  These wines are light yellow in color and made using only very ripe bunches of grapes picked after the Spatlese harvest and as such, are truly late harvest.  The regulations state that these grapes must be free of disease and damage.  However, some have questioned the compliance with this as machine harvesting is permitted.  If you have sampled any of these wines, you know that they emit a very intense bouquet of ripe fruit and flowers.  They can mime a sweet dessert wine but also may present dry.  These wines, by the way, are very similar to the Alsatian Grand Cru Rieslings.  A great example of the sweet version is the Joh. Jos. Prum Auslese 2005.  Additional producers to look for are Leitz, Dr. Weil, Weingart, Dr Loosen, Fritz Haag, Egon Muller, Molitor, Donnhoff, Basserman-Jordan, and Muller-Catoir.

The next three Rieslings occupy the top of the sweetness pyramid and offer stunning examples of dessert wines.  Moving from “less intense” to most intense is the Beerenauslese (BA).   This is a very rare wine made only in exceptional vintages from individual overripe grapes affected by “noble rot” or botrytis (Edelfaule).  Each grape should be selected individually and be shriveled.  The wine is usually a rich, golden color and intensely sweet, to be enjoyed alone or with dessert.  Some names to look for are Molitor, Fritz Haag, JJ Prum, Dr Loosen, Donnhoff, August Kessler, Dr Weil, and Muller-Catoir. 

Next up is the Eiswein.  This stunning dessert wine is made from late harvest, botrytis affected, frozen grapes of at least BA quality.  The grapes are pressed while frozen, thus removing the excess water and concentrating the sugar content of the juices.  These wines tend to have a far higher acidity level than either the BA or the TBA (discussed next).  The result is an intensely sweet wine with a racy acidity.  Can you imagine the mouthfeel?  One caveat here is that the German laws do permit machine harvesting, something that is hard to fathom if one is to produce a truly top notch Eiswein.  Look for Molitor, Egon Muller, Schlossgut Diel, Donnhoff, Schafer-Frolich, Wiel, and Emrich-Schonleber. 

Arriving at the top of the “sweetness” pyramid is the Trockenabeerenauslese(TBA).  These wines are made with hand picked heavily botrytised grapes.  Dried and almost raisin like, these grapes produce very rich and sweet, almost honied like wines.  The color can range from a raisiny color through brown and even orange and tawny hues and aromas can be almost ethereal with layers of honey, almond, orange, apricot and quince.  The deep, rich colors hint at the texture of the wine, one of extreme viscousness, almost liqueurlike in personality.  As you might readily gather, this is not a wine to take lightly.  It is a wine for sipping, for the experience of it all.  I have heard descriptions such as “thermonuclear” and “mindblowing” to describe these wines.  If you yearn for one in a lifetime experience……….go for it.  Names to look for are Wiengart, Fritz Haag, Egon Muller, Donnhoff, Emrich-Schonleber, Weil, and Muller-Catoir amongst others.

Apart from the sweetness quality of the grape, the winemaker has within his or her control to fashion the wine in a dry, medium dry or sweet style.  Trocken denotes dry with very little to no discernible sweetness and Halbtrocken is off dry with just a touch of sweetness.  The better quality Trocken wines are made from Auslese grapes, blending the best in body, weight and structure.  In addition, two new categories were added in 2000, Classic and Selection.  The former adds the Classic logo next to the grape variety along with the name of the producer and wine growing region.  Selection adds the vineyard site from which the grapes were harvested, that they were picked by hand and that the yield was lower than what is prescribed by German law.  These wines are dry.  Two new quality designations were established in 2001 that relate to production criteria and may be marked on the label as well.

The A.P. number (an official approval number) is required of all QbA and QmP wines.  The code allows the official testing center to identify the wine.

The village and vineyard are often noted on the label.  Look for the suffix –er on the first word denoting the village followed by a second word ending in –berg which indicates the vineyard.  As an example, if you see the words Zeltinger Schlossberg, this indicates that the wine comes from the Schlossberg vineyards in the village of Zeltingen.  Otherwise, it’s likely that the wine is proprietary and is a blend of wines from several vineyards.

Finally, the Appellation of Origin denoting the wine growing region is always listed on the label such as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau, Nahe, Baden and Pfalz, amongst others.

Now that you have a little additional information under your belt, go out and experience what these wines can do with food or by themselves.

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Tags: Auslese, BA, Eiswein, German Riesling, Kabinett, Landwein, QbA, QmP, Spatlese, Tafelwein, TBA