HOW-TO: Read a German Riesling Wine Label

Riesling offers a range of flavors, from the crisp minerality of a dry wine to the fruit notes of sweet wines, to the unique dessert flavors of late harvest wines. In American Rieslings, this is generally clearly indicated, either in the name of the wine, or with a note on the Residual Sugar level. German wine presents the American consumer with a bit more of a mystery. Labels can be read like other European wines, but when looking at Rieslings, there is specific information regarding the quality of the wine that can be found on the label.

• Kabinett: These wines are made from the grapes that in the past would have been saved for the local lord, of higher quality than the general table wines. In the US, this will generally be the minimum quality available, but as it means the grapes are harvested at the normal time, the full range of flavors for Riesling are available, and the wine can be anything from a heavy, sweet wine to a crisp, dry version. To note the degree of sweetness, look for Trocken (‘dry”) or Halbtrocken (“semi-dry”) on the label.
  
• Spatlese: It translates literally to “late harvest”, and means that the grapes are left on the vine longer than normal, resulting in riper grapes, richer in flavor. While it increases the intensity of the flavor of the wine, these still run the full gamut of Riesling flavors and sweetness level.
  
• Auslese: These grapes are left on the vine even longer, and are hand picked for quality. This increases the quality of the wines, and tends towards sweeter, richer flavors.
  
• Eiswein: This translates as “ice wine”, and means the grapes were left on the vine until the heart of winter, harvested and pressed while frozen. This creates a rich, sweet juice that transforms into heavy dessert wines, deep in fruit flavor.

Courtesy of GermanWineEstates.com

Hopefully this gives you an outline of some important things to look for when selecting a Riesling!