When people think of German wine, a sweeter white is always the first thing that comes to mind. There is no doubt that a massive amount of German wine is white, and by no means dry, but there is so much more to the wines made in the land of lederhosen and pumpernickel.

Vine growth in Germany can be traced back to the first century A.D. It has had a somewhat checkered history, but appears to be on the verge of a resurgence.

One question that seems to come up frequently when discussing German wine regards those confusing words on the label. What is Kabinett? Auslese? Spätlese?

These terms actually refer to the ripeness at which the grapes are harvested, which usually (but not absolutely) correlates to the sweetness levels.

Kabinett is the driest of German wine. Harvested early, the residual sugar is relatively low. Spätlese is next on the scale, followed by Auslese. This is generally as sweet as one would drink for a regular table wine.

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