5 Facts About German Wine Every WSET Student Should Know

Students preparing for WSET or CSW examinations should be able to decipher a German wine label and understand the nuances separating “table” wines from “quality” wines.

It is also critical that students be able to grasp the following concepts, as well as be able to relate them to the consumers with whom they will interact as their wine careers launch and grow.

1. Not all German wines are sweet.

In the minds of most U.S. consumers, German wine is always sweet — for two reasons. First, an ocean of mediocre semi-sweet German white wine flooded the United States in the mid-twentieth century (Blue Nun, anyone?). Second, Germany has always had a stellar international reputation for producing some of the world's most decadently sweet late-harvest wines and Eiswein.

Only in the last twenty years or so have dry German wines ascended to a prominent place in on- and off-premise establishments. The term trocken indicates dryness, and many Kabinett wines (see next section) are also dry.

2. The Prädikatswein system is not a sweetness scale but a ripeness scale.

In 2007 the term Prädikatswein was introduced to distinguish quality wines with distinction from other quality wines (QbA).

The Prädikatswein system encompasses wines with the designations Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and Eiswein.

Beginning with Kabinett, these wines have increasing must weights — sugar levels at harvest. The wines tend to gain body as the scale moves toward Trockenbeerenauslese.

While it's true that Beerenauslese wines will have more sugar than Kabinett wines, it isn't always the case that Auslese wines have more residual sugar than Kabinett. Many dry Auslese wines exist.

So the Prädikatswein scale should always be read as a ripeness level at harvest — not a guarantee of the finished wine's sweetness.

3. Not all German wines are white

Given Germany's northern latitude, it's a small miracle grapes grow there at all. Riesling dominates the northernmost regions of the Rheingau and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, but the more southerly Baden region sits in the same climatic zone as Alsace and the Loire.

Baden is home to red wines such as Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Blauer Portugieser (no relation to Portugal). Of the two, Spätburgunder is more highly regarded.

4. Many white wines can age, with German Riesling as the shining example.

Importer Terry Theise famously wrote: "Riesling is first among equals among the white grapes that age astonishingly. It undergoes a metamorphosis, almost literally. Mature Riesling barely resembles its younger self. If you were an alien and an earthling showed you a butterfly first, then a caterpillar, and asked, "True or false? This creature came from that one," I doubt you would infer it. Mature Riesling becomes, simply, the world's most complex wine."

Because Riesling retains its acidity even as it develops flavor intensity with ripening, the best examples can age for decades. As a general rule, sweeter Rieslings can age longer than drier styles.

5. The world’s steepest vineyard is in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region.

This one's more of a fun fact, but it explains why viticulture can flourish in this part of Germany at all.

According to the Deutsches Weininstitut, the famous Bremmer Calmont vineyard has a 60 percent gradient and a height of 951 feet. Mechanized harvesting is impossible — every vine is worked by hand.

Thanks to the vineyard's aspect, the grapes get direct access to the sun's warmth, and frost damage is minimized as cold air sinks past the vines to the Mosel River below.

Put These Facts to the Test

German wine shows up throughout the WSET syllabus, from Level 2's regional overview to the depth of detail expected at WSET Level 3. If you want to go deeper on Germany and the rest of the world's wine regions, our Wine Regions guide is a good next stop, and our WSET Level 3 mock exam is the fastest way to see how well these facts have stuck.

Image: Michal Osmenda