German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion, especially among non-German speaking wine consumers.
The four quality levels can be split into Deutscher Tafelwein 'German table wine', Deutscher Landwein 'German country wine', Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA), or quality wine from a specific region and Prädikatswein (QmP) 'Superior quality wine'.
The QmA and QmP wines can have Prädikat designations.
Kabinett - fully ripened light wines from the main harvest, typically semi-sweet with crisp acidity, but can be dry if designated so.
Spätlese - meaning "late harvest" typically semi-sweet, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett. Spätlese can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated so. While Spätlese means late harvest the wine is not as sweet as a dessert wine.
Auslese - meaning "select harvest" made from selected very ripe bunches or grapes, typically semi-sweet or sweet, sometimes with some noble rot character. Sometimes Auslese is also made into a powerful dry wine, but the designation Auslese trocken has been discouraged after the introduction of Grosses Gewächs. Auslese is the Prädikat which covers the widest range of wine styles, and can be a dessert wine.
Beerenauslese - meaning "select berry harvest" made from individually selected overripe grapes often affected by noble rot, making rich sweet dessert wine.
Eiswein (ice wine) - made from grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine, making a very concentrated wine. Must reach at least the same level of sugar content in the must as a Beerenauslese. The most classic Eiswein style is to use only grapes that are not affected by noble rot. Until the 1980s, the Eiswein designation was used in conjunction with another Prädikat (which indicated the ripeness level of the grapes before they had frozen), but is now considered a Prädikat of its own.
Trockenbeerenauslese - meaning "select dry berry harvest" or "dry berry selection"
And also sweetness can be indicated on the label
trocken dry
halbtrocken half-dry
feinherb off-dry
lieblich, mild or restsüß semi-sweet
süß or edelsüß Sweet
New classes for dry wines
Classic - introduced with the 2000 vintage, Classic is in principle a dry or slightly off-dry QbA that conforms to slightly higher standards intended to make it food-friendly.
Selection - in pricinple a Spätlese trocken from a selected site.
Erstes Gewächs - (first class growth), a designation used only in Rheingau for top-level dry wines from selected sites.
