German Wine Label Information

A quality German wine label is by far the most comprehensive in terms of the information about the wine as well as its area of origin.

All of Germany's grape growing areas including single vineyards (known as Einzellage) and collection of vineyards (Grosslage) are legally defined and designated. However, the vineyards are not classified according to quality, instead the wines are rated according to the ripeness of grapes at harvest.

A thorough understanding of the classification system is essential to properly understand German wine labels. As mentioned earlier, the classification is based on the ripeness level of the grapes during harvest. The hierarchy of wines according to quality are:

• Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QMP): Top German wines which literally means 'quality wine with special characteristics'. To qualify for this level, the grapes must meet minimum ripeness levels as described below:
  • Kabinett: The driest of all QMP wines but still are medium dry in most cases.
  • Spätlese: Literally means 'late harvest'. The grapes are picked later than Kabinett wines and are medium sweet in style.
  • Auslese: 'Selected harvest'. Wines made from grapes partially affected by Botrytis and are sweeter than Spätlese.
  • Beerenauslese: Means 'berry selection'. These grapes are left on the vines longer than Auslese and are affected by the Botrytis rot. Sweeter and richer in style than Auslese.
  • Eiswein: Means 'ice wine'. As the name suggests, these are intensely sweet wines made from naturally frozen grapes. The grapes are harvested and pressed in the frozen state. The ice keeps part of the water isolated to achieve the high sugar content of these wines.
  • Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA): 'Dry berry selection'. These grapes are left on the vine for the longest period which helps them reach a raisin-like state. These are extremely sweet and concentrated in style and command very high prices.
• Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QBA): This is the second level German classification for quality wines within a designated region.
• Deutscher Landwein: Means 'German Country wine'. These are equivalent to the French 'IGP' (Indication Geographique Protegée), formerly VDP (Vin de Pays) and are low in quality.
• Deutscher Tafelwein: Means 'German Table wine'. The most inferior quality.

According to German wine law, the following information must appear on wine labels:

• Name of the producer
• Anbaugebiet or the region of origin
• Location of the producer/bottler
• A.P.Nr Amtliche Prüfnummer - The quality control number
• Volume
• Alcohol content

Some additional information that may be displayed include grape variety, vintage, level of ripeness or Prädikat, vineyard name, bottling information, address of the winery, the black eagle logo of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (Verband Deutscher Prädikats und Qualitätsweingüter, or more commonly VDP) and the sweetness level such as dry (trocken) or off-dry (halbtrocken).

Please have a look at the following image for a typical German quality wine label. We have also listed a glossary of terms at the end of this page that will assist in understanding German wine labels.

German Wine Terms

Trocken	Dry
Halbtrocken	Medium Dry
Weisswein	White wine
Rotwein	Red wine
Rotling	Rosé wine
Sekt	Sparkling wine
Weingut	Wine Estate
Weinkellerei	Winery
Winzergenossenschaft	Winegrowers' co-operative wine
Gutsabfüllung	Estate bottled wine
Erzeugerabfüllung	Producer bottled wine
Abfüller	Bottler or a shipper
Anbaugebiet	Wine region or region of origin
Bereich	A district within one of the Anbaugebiet
Grosslage	Collection of vineyards
Einzellage	Single vineyard
Prädikat	Level of ripeness
A.P.Nr or Amtliche Prüfnummer	Quality control number. Confirms that the wine has passed official testing procedures

Please also have a look at the wine label information for the European Union, France, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace, Champagne, Italy, USA, Australia or a general information regarding wine labels.

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