What Is the German Prädikat System? A Beginner’s Guide

Quick answer: what does Prädikat mean?

The German Prädikat system describes legally regulated categories of quality wine, formally called Prädikatswein. The categories are based primarily on the natural must weight of the grapes at harvest.

Must is freshly pressed grape juice. Its weight, commonly measured in degrees Oechsle, indicates the concentration of dissolved material—especially sugar—in the juice. In simple terms, it helps show how mature or concentrated the grapes were when picked.

The six principal Prädikat terms form a broadly ascending sequence:

Kabinett → Spätlese → Auslese → Beerenauslese → Eiswein → Trockenbeerenauslese

That sequence does not tell you that the finished wine will become progressively sweeter or better. It describes the grapes, their selection or the conditions in which they were harvested. Fermentation can convert some or most of the grape sugar into alcohol, leaving a wine that is dry, off-dry or sweet.

For an Australian wine learner, the useful rule is:

Prädikat tells you mainly about the grapes and harvest. The finished wine’s style depends on fermentation, residual sugar and terms such as trocken.

Where does Prädikatswein fit in German wine law?

Prädikatswein is a regulated German quality-wine category with additional requirements, including minimum natural must weight and a prohibition on enrichment.

Enrichment, sometimes called chaptalisation, means adding permitted sugar or concentrated grape must to increase potential alcohol. Prädikatswein may not be enriched in this way. That does not mean every Prädikatswein is sweet. It means the grapes had to reach the required natural concentration at harvest.

You may also encounter the older or translated phrase Qualitätswein mit Prädikat. In current consumer-facing explanations, Prädikatswein is the clearer formal term.

The required must weight varies according to factors including the predicate, grape variety and German wine-growing region. There is therefore no single national Oechsle threshold that applies identically to every bottle.

The six Prädikat terms explained

Kabinett

Kabinett is the lowest listed Prädikat level. It refers to relatively light, fully ripe grapes that meet the applicable minimum must-weight requirement.

Kabinett wines are often associated with lightness and moderate potential alcohol, but the term does not automatically mean sweet, low-acid or inferior.

Spätlese

Spätlese means late harvest. It refers to fully ripe grapes picked at a higher required must weight than Kabinett, although the exact requirement varies by region and variety.

A Spätlese can be dry, off-dry or sweet. The word describes the harvest category, not a guaranteed level of sweetness.

Auslese

Auslese means selected harvest. It is made from individually selected, fully ripe grapes.

Botrytis—also called noble rot—may contribute concentration in some Auslese wines, but it should not be assumed that every Auslese grape was affected by botrytis. Nor does Auslese automatically mean dessert wine.

Beerenauslese

Beerenauslese refers to selected berries with high sugar concentration. Noble rot commonly contributes to this concentration under suitable conditions.

Beerenauslese is generally associated with sweet wines, but the important classification point is the concentrated, specially selected berries—not simply the finished wine’s sweetness.

Eiswein

Eiswein is defined by the harvest condition: grapes are harvested and pressed while frozen. The German Wine Institute describes the grapes as being harvested and pressed at at least −7°C.

Freezing concentrates the juice. Eiswein is therefore not simply another name for Beerenauslese, even though its minimum must-weight requirement is commonly aligned with that category.

Trockenbeerenauslese

Trockenbeerenauslese is made from shrivelled, raisin-like berries whose juice is highly concentrated. The berries are often affected by noble rot, and this category has the highest must-weight requirement among the six principal predicates.

The word trocken here refers to dried or shrivelled berries. It does not mean that the finished wine is dry.

Why Prädikat does not equal sweetness

Must weight is measured before fermentation. Finished sweetness is a separate question.

During fermentation, yeast converts grape sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. If fermentation continues far enough, the finished wine may be dry even though the grapes had a high must weight. If fermentation stops earlier, some residual sugar remains and the wine may taste sweeter.

Acidity, alcohol and serving temperature also influence how sweet or fresh a wine feels. This is why a Spätlese trocken is not a contradiction: it is a Spätlese made in a dry style.

Likewise, a label without the word trocken should not automatically be assumed to describe a sweet wine. The most reliable interpretation comes from reading the label and available technical information together.

How to read a German label in Australia

When buying an imported German wine at an Australian retailer or ordering one at a restaurant, consider these details together:

1. Region: such as Mosel, Rheingau or Pfalz.
2. Grape variety: often Riesling, but not necessarily.
3. Prädikat: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese or another category.
4. Style term: especially trocken, meaning dry-style.
5. Residual sugar, acidity and alcohol: where supplied.
6. Vintage and producer: useful context for understanding the bottle.

These terms answer different questions. Riesling identifies the grape. Mosel identifies geographic origin. Prädikat describes the harvest category. Trocken gives an important indication of dry style.

Australian Geographic Indications work differently. An Australian GI identifies a recognised geographic area of origin; it is not an equivalent of Kabinett or Spätlese. German Prädikat terms should also not be translated directly as Australian “reserve” or as equivalents of French AOC/AOP, Italian DOC/DOCG or Spanish DO/DOCa.

Common mistakes to avoid

• “Spätlese means sweet.” Not necessarily.
• “Prädikat is Germany’s sweetness scale.” It is primarily a harvest and grape-maturity classification.
• “Trockenbeerenauslese is dry.” Not when trocken is part of this compound term.
• “A higher Prädikat is always better.” Higher refers to grape concentration or harvest conditions, not an objective quality ranking.
• “Riesling is required.” Prädikat terms are not limited to Riesling.
• “Auslese always means botrytised.” Botrytis may contribute, but is not a universal requirement in the consumer explanation.

FAQs

What does trocken mean on a German wine label?

Trocken means dry-style. It does not mean the wine contains no sugar, and it has a different meaning from the trocken in Trockenbeerenauslese.

Is Kabinett wine sweet?

Not necessarily. Kabinett may be dry, off-dry or sweet, depending on fermentation and the finished wine’s residual sugar.

Is a higher Prädikat better?

No. A higher category indicates greater required grape concentration, selection or a particular harvest condition. Whether a wine is enjoyable depends on balance, style, region, producer and vintage as well.

What should Australians look for first?

Start with the grape, region, Prädikat and the word trocken. Then consider residual sugar, acidity and alcohol if that information is available.