Germany: ranked by ripeness
Germany's traditional system is unusual: rather than ranking place alone, its Prädikat tiers grade the ripeness of the grapes at harvest. Riper grapes sit higher up the ladder.
KABINETT
lightest
SPÄTLESE → AUSLESE
riper
BA / TBA / EISWEIN
rare, sweet
- These levels signal ripeness, which often (not always) means more sweetness.
- Trocken = dry — vital, since the same ripeness can be made dry or sweet.
- VDP is a top growers' group; Grosses Gewächs (GG) marks great dry single-vineyard wines.