German Wine Classifications

By Nikki Ness
Staff Writer

As I am about to embark on a weeklong trip to Germany with my fiancé, I thought it might be a good time to brush up on my German wine knowledge, or more specifically my German Riesling knowledge. This also provides me with a great wine topic, considering the increasing popularity in Riesling over the past few years.

I am not the biggest German wine drinker but I do love an occasional Riesling with my food.  Since we will be in Nuremburg for an International organic food and wine Show, we will not actually be touring any German wineries, but I definitely want to truly experience the wines (and beers) that Germany is famous for.
Although Riesling is an incredibly popular wine in my store, sometimes I think people get a little intimidated by some of the offerings in the German section. One quick glance and it becomes fairly obvious why someone might want to pick up a pretty blue bottle that is simple called “Relax” rather than one that reads “Schmitt Sohne Bereich Bingen Spatlese.” There is also a German Riesling by the name of “Polka Dot” which must be a pretty great marketing strategy given the popularity of this brand. While these Rieslings are actually quite good, they are geared mainly towards the American market and palate, rather than necessarily representing the diversity of German Rieslings. If you can get past the really long German wine names, and learn some of the basic terminology, you will realize that they are not that difficult to read after all and well worth the effort!

Around 80 to 85% of the wines made in Germany are white. The country’s vineyards are in some of the northernmost extremes of the world where grapes can still ripen. Red grapes aren’t able to ripen properly in these cold conditions where a grape such as Riesling actually needs a cold climate to reach its full potential.

About 22% of all of the white grapes grown in Germany are Riesling, which although produced successfully in other parts of the world, originated here. The finest vineyards in Germany are along the rivers such as the Rhine and the Mosel, which help to temper the extremes of weather and encourage the grapes to grow.

These wines are generally low in alcohol (9% or less) which is about 1/3 less alcohol than a standard California Chardonnay. Riesling is rarely ever blended with other varietals, and almost never exposed to oak or commercial yeast. Because of these factors, German Riesling is very varietally pure, and therefore derives most of its character and diversity from its places of origin.

There are four levels of wine quality in German wines. The lowest, Tafelwein, is your basic table wine, and most of this never even leaves Germany.  Next are Landewein, and then QbA which means sugar can be added to the wine. The finest wines in Germany, and where things start to get a little confusing, belong to the QmP level or Qualitatswein Mit Pradikat.  This translates to “quality wines with special attributes” (in this case their ripeness).  The QmP is based on German winemaking laws, and has six different levels of ripeness.  The riper grapes provide an abundance of aroma and flavor, leading to more expressive and flavorful wines. Since the #1 goal of German winemaking is to achieve ripeness, the riper the grapes the finer the wine. The six levels of Pradikat wine, going from least ripe (lowest quality) to most ripe (highest quality) are as follows:
::Kabinett(KAB ee net): fully ripened
::Spatlese(SHPATE lay seh): late harvest
::Auslese(OUSE lay seh): selected very ripe bunches(overripe)
::Beerenauslese(BEER en OUSE lay seh): abbreviated BA, individually selected overripe berries
::Trockenbeerenauslese(TROH ken BEER en OUSE lay seh): individually selected berries which are overripe and dried up almost to raisins.
::Eiswein (ICE wine): wines of BA intensity, made from grapes harvested and pressed while frozen
The general flavor profile of German Rieslings can be described as both fruity and minerally. They have a concentrated steely character and are highly acidic which makes them fantastic wines to pair with food. They are incredibly food-friendly and can be served with appetizers, spicy Thai, Middle Eastern, Mexican, poultry, pork, salads, and desserts. Riesling should always be served chilled.

Many people think of Rieslings as always being sweet, but in reality they can go from dry, to semi-sweet, to sweet to sparkling. Though often consumed when young, depending on the quality level they can be suitable for aging.

Due to the pure nature of these wines, they are very influenced by their places of origin, leading to a wide range of flavor characteristics. Some of the flavor notes associated with Riesling are grapefruit, green apple, peach, honey, rose blossom, and even cut green grass.

Well, now that I have got those pronunciations fresh in my brain, I am feeling much better about walking into a German restaurant and ordering myself a nice glass of wine, without sounding like a big ole American idiot who doesn’t know a lick of German (I don’t).

On a completely different note, I look forward to coming back next week with an increased organic wine knowledge and being able to share it all with you.

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