German Riesling - Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese explained
A German bottle of Riesling can frighten a beginner more than any other. Long, gothic vineyard names, words like Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Trocken, plus producer names across half the label. It looks like a secret code, one that makes it easier to put the bottle back on the shelf than to buy it. And that is a shame, because German Riesling is one of the world’s greatest white wines, with unearthly acidity and the ability to age for decades. The good news is that this code is logical and can be cracked in a dozen-odd minutes. Here is a guide that turns the German label from a barrier into a signpost.
Why Riesling is a great grape
Before we get into the classifications, it helps to understand why it is worth fighting for at all. Riesling is an exceptional grape, considered by many experts the noblest white grape on earth. Its hallmark is an unusually high, lively acidity, which gives the wines tension, freshness and the ability to age for decades. Its second trait is a masterly expression of place - Riesling, like no other grape, conveys the character of soil and microclimate, that is terroir. The third is aromatics: flowers, peach, citrus, apple, and with age the characteristic note of petrol or kerosene, which sounds odd but for lovers is a sign of class. It is a wine of huge range - from dry to sweet.
The key: ripeness, not sweetness
Here lies the most important thing most people do not understand. The German Pradikat names - Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese and higher - do not directly describe the sweetness of the wine, but the ripeness of the grapes at harvest, measured by the sugar in the grape. It is a subtle but crucial difference. The higher in the hierarchy, the riper, sweeter the grapes that went into the vat - but how much sugar remains in the finished wine depends on the winemaker. They can ferment all the sugar into a dry wine or stop the fermentation, leaving sweetness. That is why the same category, for example Spatlese, can give both a dry and a sweet wine. Remember: Pradikat is potential ripeness, not a guarantee of sweetness.
Oechsle - the German sugar measure
How do the Germans know which category to assign grapes to? They measure the density of the must on the Oechsle scale, which reflects the sugar content of the grape juice. The more sugar, the higher the Oechsle degree and the higher the Pradikat category the wine can aspire to. Each level has a legally defined minimum. It is a system that rewards ripeness - and in Germany’s cool climate, at the edge of where the vine grows, ripeness was for centuries the most precious and hardest-won commodity. Hence this whole ladder of categories: it orders wines by how ripe, and so how rare and valuable, the grapes at their base were. It is the essence of the German approach to wine.
Kabinett - lightness and finesse
Let us begin the climb at the lowest and often most charming rung. Kabinett is made from grapes of the lowest classified ripeness, picked at the normal time. The result is light, delicate, ethereal wines of low alcohol, often a mere 7-10 percent, with electric, sharp acidity. Kabinett can be dry (Trocken) or lightly off-dry, with a touch of sugar balanced by acidity. It is a refreshing wine, ideal in the heat, with light dishes and as an aperitif. For many lovers it is Kabinett, though lowest in the hierarchy, that is the quintessence of Riesling - pure pleasure without weight. Do not be fooled by its apparent modesty; a good Kabinett is a masterpiece of balance.
Spatlese - late harvest, more body
The word Spatlese literally means late harvest, and that is exactly the point. The grapes are picked later than for Kabinett, so they are riper, sweeter and more concentrated. The wine gains in body, depth and intensity of aroma, and the alcohol rises to around 10-13 percent. Spatlese usually has about half as much more sugar as Kabinett, so we often perceive it as sweeter - though here too Riesling’s high acidity keeps the wine in balance and stops it being cloying. There are also dry Spatlese Trocken, fuller and meatier than a dry Kabinett. It is a versatile category: riper, richer and still fresh, great with dishes of greater intensity.
Auslese - selection and sweet concentration
Auslese is a word meaning choice, selection - and that is how it is made. Here selected, ripest bunches are picked, sometimes already touched by noble rot, botrytis, which concentrates the sugar and aromas. Auslese wines have more body, exotic fruit and concentration than Spatlese, and their sweetness ranges from medium-sweet to clearly sweet. This is already a wine heading towards dessert, though here again the nerve of acidity saves it. Auslese is drunk with desserts, with mature cheeses or simply on its own, as a liquid delicacy. There are also rare dry Ausleses, but the classic version is a rich, sweetish wine of great depth and ageing potential counted in decades.
What is above Auslese
The ladder does not end at Auslese - higher up wait true rarities, though you will rarely meet them in an ordinary shop. Beerenauslese (BA) is made from individual, overripe berries heavily touched by botrytis, giving a dense, honeyed dessert wine. Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) goes further still: a wine from grapes dried almost to raisins, incredibly concentrated, sweet and expensive, made in tiny quantities. A separate category is Eiswein (ice wine), made from grapes frozen on the vine, picked in the frost, which concentrates the sugar and acidity. These are collector’s wines, of legendary longevity, more a keepsake than an everyday buy, but it is worth knowing that they crown this whole pyramid.
Trocken, Halbtrocken and the sweetness trap
Since Pradikat does not directly tell you about sweetness, how do you recognise it? By the extra words on the label. Trocken means a dry wine, Halbtrocken (or the now-fashionable Feinherb) means off-dry, and the absence of these words usually suggests a wine with noticeable sweetness. Here, though, lurks a subtlety: thanks to Riesling’s very high acidity, a wine with even a fair amount of residual sugar can taste surprisingly dry and fresh, far less sweet than the numbers would suggest. It is a balancing game between sugar and acid that Riesling has perfected. We have written about the mechanics of dry and sweet wines separately, and it is precisely the high acidity that is the secret hero here.
How to read a German label
Let us put it into a practical label manual. First you look for the grape name - if it says Riesling, you are home. Then you look at the Pradikat category (Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese), which tells you about the ripeness and potential scale of the wine. Next you look for the word Trocken or Halbtrocken, which reveals the sweetness level; their absence at a higher Pradikat suggests a sweeter wine. The name of the vineyard and village (often ending in -er, like Wehlener or Piesporter) tells of origin, and the producer of quality. That is all. The whole terror of the German label comes down to these few elements. We have written more about reading labels in general separately.
Mosel versus Rhine - two styles
It is worth knowing that the region of origin shapes the style of German Riesling. The Mosel, with vineyards on steep, slate slopes above the river, gives lighter wines of lower alcohol, floral, refined and with piercing acidity - it is the land of classic, delicate Kabinett and Spatlese Rieslings. The Rheingau or Pfalz region on the Rhine gives fuller, riper wines, often dry and meatier. The name of the river or region on the label is thus another clue to what to expect. If you like lightness and nerve, aim for the Mosel; if you prefer body and dryness, reach for Rieslings from the Rhine. They are two faces of the same great grape.
Where to start the adventure
Finally, practical advice for the beginner. If you want to get to know German Riesling, start with a Kabinett from the Mosel - the easiest, most charming and usually cheapest introduction, showing the essence of the grape: lightness, fruit and electric acidity. Then try a Spatlese, to feel how ripeness adds body and depth. If you take to sweetness, reach for an Auslese with dessert. Drink these wines well chilled but not ice-cold, so the acidity and aroma can play. And be sure to try once an older, few-year-old Riesling, to meet that famous note of maturity. These are wines that reward curiosity like few others.
Note every Riesling in GustoNote - the Pradikat category, the sweetness, the acidity and the region. After a few bottles you will see for yourself whether you are drawn to a light, dry Kabinett or a rich, sweet Auslese.