THE WORDS ON THE LABEL – AND WHAT THEY MEAN
German wine labels are very informative and provide you with important information to have an idea what to expect from the wine, but at the same time, you will never know if you like it until you tried.
In a nutshell, there are three important things to look for: price, alcohol and producer.
- Price: with increasing price, the richness will increase as well, better grapes were used for the wine, hence more intensity, richer mouthfeel, more flavor, well, you get what you pay for.
- Alcohol: low alcohol (7%-10%) indicates a most likely sweeter wine, while alcohol levels of above 11% most likely indicate a drier wine.
- Producer: basically, good winemakers make good wine even in difficult vintages, so watch who made the wine, check for their reputation.
For more details, please follow the links below and keep in mind, that good reading gets even better while sipping on an enjoyable glass of wine.
- How to Read a German Wine Label
Overview an interactive introduction how to understand the elements on a German wine label. - Grape Varieties in Germany
Read in depth about the grape varieties grown in Germany. - Riesling – the empress of grapes
Read in depth about the flag ship grape variety of Germany. - Ripeness Levels of German Wines
A visual and interactive elaboration on the ripeness levels representing degrees of ripeness and richness, and NOT sweetness. - Dryness Levels of German Wines
From Dry to Noble Sweet, the different dryness levels of German wines. - Wine Growing Regions in Germany
Travel to the German wine regions.
