Making sens of the German sweet wine category
Germany is renowned for its Riesling, which accounts for almost one-quarter of its vineyard area, making it the world’s largest producer. German Riesling wines are made in various styles, from dry to lusciously sweet, and their sweet wines are considered among the best globally.
To understand the sweet wine styles in German wines, one needs to look at the history and development of the country and its climate:
Historically, German Riesling commanded prices on par with First Growth Bordeaux, and this is still true on some occasions today. However, the image of German wine was tarnished in the 1980s with the advent of Liebfraumilch (a cheaply made, off-dry, fruit-driven style of wine). You may have heard of Black Tower and Blue Nun. As this fade passed, consumers came to enjoy the dry and sweet wines of Germany, and quality has constantly improved and created quite a following.
Most of Germany’s vineyards are situated in the western and northern parts of the country at around 49-50°N, making them some of the most northerly in the world. The climate is generally cool and continental, except for Baden, which is in the country’s south.
Site selection is crucial at this latitude. Most of Germany’s vineyards are located along the Rhine and its tributaries. We’ve recently published an article exploring the impact of rivers on the world of wine. You can find it here: https://editorial.crurated.com/ode-to-rhone-river-wine
Because of the cool climate, German wine production has traditionally focused on white wines like Riesling.
There are four quality levels of German wine, in increasing order of must-weight: Deutscher Wein, Landwein, Qualitätswein, and Prädikatswein.
What’s Must Weight? The official Wines of Germany website does a fantastic job at describing it – https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/quality-standards/quality-standard/182/must-weights
The wine market rarely sees the first two tiers; the most renowned and sought-after wines are produced in the latter two tiers, Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein. These quality-level wines are produced in 13 designated regions, which include Mosel, Nahe, and Rheingau.
Qualitätswein
It has less stringent rules and is nowadays used for dry wines with the increasing influence of the VDP association. Read about it here: https://editorial.crurated.com/how-do-you-know-your-german-riesling-is-dry-two-letters-gg/
Such wines are those of Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein
Prädikatswein
Prädikatswein has stricter regulations. These wines are made from grapes with the highest must weight, and as a general indication, Prädikat wines make up about half of the production of Qualität wines.
The term “Prädikat” means “distinction,” and six levels are defined by minimum must weight. These levels are in increasing order of must-weight.
Kabinett
Kabinett wines are made from grapes with the lowest must weights for Prädikatswein. They are light-bodied and high in acid and can range from dry to medium-sweet. Those with residual sugar can have alcohol levels as low as 7% abv, while dry wines can reach 12% abv. Kabinett Riesling is light-bodied, has high acidity, and offers aromas of green and citrus fruit.
Spätlese
Spätlese[5] is produced from fully-ripened grapes, usually picked about two weeks later than those destined for Kabinett wines. Compared to Kabinett, these wines have a greater concentration of riper fruit flavours (typically stone fruits for Riesling), slightly higher alcohol levels (at a comparable residual sugar level) and a fuller body. Spätlese wines can also range from dry to medium-sweet. Like Kabinett and Auslese, the minimum alcohol level must be 7% abv.
Auslese
Auslese[6] is made from specially-selected, extra-ripe bunches of grapes. Wines have even riper and more concentrated flavours than Spätlese.
Auslese is the last category at which wines can be dry, although many of the best are sweeter in style, with a balance of sweetness and acidity that gives them potential for long bottle-ageing.
Quick tip: Look out for the word “Trocken” as it indicates that the wines are dry.
Some of the most rewarding Auslese’s we recently tasted are those of Koehler-Ruprecht
Beerenauslese
The wine is made from individually selected berries and must be harvested by hand. It will always be sweet, and the fermentation process can be long and slow, resulting in relatively low alcohol levels. Expect to experience some Noble Rot aromas. Are you curious about Noble Rot? Read Decanter article here: https://www.decanter.com/learn/botrytis-noble-rot-explained-474590/
With Riesling, you can expect the typical flavours of very ripe and dried stone fruit. B wines are produced in limited quantities, with very low yields, and are very labour-intensive to produce, making them rare.
Trockenbeerenauslese
Often shortened to TBA, it is a balancing act; the grapes used to produce TBA must be affected by botrytis, resulting in extremely sweet wines.
It is a long and laborious harvest and fermentation, which can take months to complete. The wines are rarely above 8% ABV, balanced by high viticulture, which brings life into the wine’s drinkability.
Due to extremely low yields, TBA wines are produced in tiny quantities, typically at most 100 bottles at a time, and only in suitable years. They are the most sought-after, long-lived wines produced in Germany.
We are proud to present the wines of Weingut Emrich-Schönleber, available in our shop now:
Eiswein
We have written a dedicated entry on this category; read here: https://editorial.crurated.com/german-icewine-its-global-development-and-its-possible-demise/
In conclusion, German wineries have a flair for making it difficult to understand their wines. Some simplifications have been pondered, but nothing has been confirmed.
For us, the advice is to look for the word Trocken (on its own) or GG on the bottles to determine if the wine is dry. Otherwise, you might still be opening some of the most delicious sweet wines in the world, which is okay; they work on many occasions and pair beauty with many cousins.
Our growing selection of German wines direct from the wineries can be explored here:
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