German Wine Label Glossary: Trocken, Prädikat, VDP & 25 Key Terms
Reading a German wine label means decoding three vocabulary categories: sweetness terms (Trocken for dry, Halbtrocken for off-dry), Prädikat terms that measure grape ripeness at harvest (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese), and origin terms that name where the grapes grew (Einzellage for a single vineyard, Ortswein for a village wine).
You don’t need to memorize the entire system. This glossary covers the terms most likely to change your buying decision.
For a complete walkthrough of the 2026 German wine-law transition and how these pieces assemble on a Riesling bottle, see our German Riesling label guide. This page has one job: decode the vocabulary fast.
German wine label terms at a glance
| Term | Plain-English meaning | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Trocken | Dry | Regulated finished-wine sweetness category |
| Halbtrocken | Semi-dry | Regulated finished-wine sweetness category |
| Feinherb | Producer-defined, often off-dry | Style clue; no fixed legal residual-sugar range |
| Kabinett | Prädikat category | Grape ripeness and legal production conditions, not fixed sweetness |
| Spätlese | Prädikat category | Later-picked, fully ripe grapes meeting legal requirements |
| Auslese | Prädikat category | Selected fully ripe or noble-rotted grapes under legal conditions |
| Einzellage | Individual vineyard | Specific vineyard origin |
| Ortswein | Village wine | Village-level origin |
| Grosses Gewächs / GG | Dry top-site wine | Depends on statutory or VDP context; not the same as Grosse Lage |
| AP number | Official quality-assessment number | Identifies an officially tested bottling |
| VDP | Private association of German estates | Signals use of VDP association rules where relevant |
Sweetness terms
Trocken
Trocken means legally dry for still German wine. The standard limit sits at 4 g/L residual sugar, with an acidity-linked allowance up to 9 g/L when the legal balance formula is met.
Halbtrocken
Halbtrocken means legally semi-dry. The standard limit is 12 g/L residual sugar, with a possible acidity-linked extension to 18 g/L.
Feinherb
Feinherb carries no fixed legal residual-sugar definition. Producers typically use it for an off-dry or gently sweet style, but the exact wine can vary from bottle to bottle.
Lieblich and Süß
Lieblich is the regulated sweeter category above the Halbtrocken threshold, up to 45 g/L residual sugar. Süß applies above 45 g/L.
For the full legal sweetness system in one place, see the German Riesling sweetness guide.
Prädikat terms
Prädikat terms are not sweetness codes. They describe regulated grape condition, ripeness, and production requirements.
A Kabinett or Spätlese can be dry or sweet, depending entirely on the finished wine and how it’s labeled.
| Prädikat | Useful interpretation |
|---|---|
| Kabinett | Ripe grapes meeting the relevant legal threshold; enrichment not permitted |
| Spätlese | Fully ripe grapes harvested later, meeting the applicable threshold |
| Auslese | Selected fully ripe or noble-rotted grapes |
| Beerenauslese | Noble-rotted or at least overripe berries under the legal conditions |
| Eiswein | Grapes harvested and pressed while frozen, under the legal conditions |
| Trockenbeerenauslese | Largely shriveled, noble-rotted berries, subject to narrow exceptions |
Origin and vineyard terms
Anbaugebiet
An Anbaugebiet is one of Germany’s protected wine-growing regions, such as Mosel, Rheingau, Nahe, Rheinhessen, or Pfalz.
Ort and Ortswein
Ort means place or village. Ortswein is village-level terminology used both in Germany’s statutory origin framework and in VDP classification.
Lage and Einzellage
Lage means site or vineyard. Einzellage identifies a registered individual vineyard.
Classic label constructions combine the village adjective with the vineyard name — think Wehlener Sonnenuhr.
Grosslage
A Grosslage is a larger registered vineyard grouping, not one individual site. Under the 2026-vintage origin rules, certain broader origins now carry the word Region, helping distinguish them from single-vineyard wines.
VDP terms
The VDP is a private association. Its classification sits apart from German statutory wine law, even though some terminology now overlaps with the national origin system.
| VDP term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VDP.Gutswein | Estate-level origin |
| VDP.Ortswein | Village-level origin |
| VDP.Erste Lage | Classified premier vineyard tier |
| VDP.Grosse Lage | VDP’s highest vineyard tier |
| VDP.Erstes Gewächs / 1G | Dry wine from a VDP.Erste Lage under VDP rules |
| VDP.Grosses Gewächs / GG | Dry wine from a VDP.Grosse Lage under VDP rules |
The distinction is simple: Grosse Lage identifies the vineyard classification; Grosses Gewächs identifies the dry wine. See our GG vs Grosse Lage guide.
Producer and bottling terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Weingut | Wine estate / winery |
| Winzer | Winegrower / winemaker |
| Schloss | Castle; can appear as part of an estate name |
| Kloster | Monastery; often found in historic estate or site names |
| Erzeugerabfüllung | Producer bottling under the applicable legal conditions |
| Gutsabfüllung | Estate bottling under the applicable legal conditions |
Don’t mistake words like Schloss, Kloster, or a long family name for a mark of quality on their own. Producer reputation and the specific wine still matter most.
AP number
The Amtliche Prüfungsnummer, or AP number, identifies a Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein that passed the official quality-assessment process. It’s useful for distinguishing bottlings, especially when a producer releases multiple lots of the same wine.
The AP number is not a rating. A higher or lower number carries no bearing on quality.
Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein
Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein are statutory categories within German wine law. Prädikatswein carries one of the six Prädikat designations when the relevant legal conditions are met.
A wine isn’t “basic” simply because no Prädikat appears on the front label. Many serious dry wines skip the Prädikat term entirely, leading instead with origin, producer, and a dry classification such as GG.
2026-vintage terms you may see more often
Germany’s revised origin framework becomes mandatory from the 2026 vintage. Wine already on shelves from 2025 and earlier can continue under older labeling conventions, while new-vintage bottles increasingly show the revised statutory hierarchy.
For 2026-vintage single-vineyard wines, the vineyard name is tied more explicitly to its village or district origin. The statutory terms Erstes Gewächs and Grosses Gewächs also operate under nationally defined conditions, so context matters when comparing them against VDP usage.
Terms that do not mean what shoppers often assume
- Kabinett does not mean “off-dry.”
- Spätlese does not mean “sweeter than Kabinett.”
- Feinherb has no universal legal sugar range.
- VDP membership does not mean an estate is automatically organic.
- Grosse Lage and Grosses Gewächs are not synonyms.
- AP number is not a critic score.
- Older vintage does not automatically mean better or more valuable.
- Bottle color is not a reliable sweetness or quality code.
- German Wine Certification Guide (DWI, WSET & German Wine Scholar)
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the quality levels of German wine?
What does GG mean on a German wine label?
How do you know if a German Riesling is dry or sweet?
What does Weingut mean on a wine label?
Where to go next
- Full 2026 German Riesling Label Guide
- German Riesling Sweetness Guide
- German Riesling Quality: Wine Law, VDP & Critic Scores
- Is Riesling Sweet or Dry?
- German Winery Directory
Primary sources
Germany Rieslings Editorial Team
German Wine Editorial ReferenceResearched, structured, and fact-checked against official Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI) documentation, German Federal Wine Law (Weingesetz), and VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter standards.
