Regions

Baden

Key German Wine Terms

Germany's third-largest wine region and its only EU Wine Zone B region, running from the Tauber Valley to Lake Constance with the Pinot family at its heart.

Baden is Germany's third-largest wine region and its southernmost, with 15,142 hectares of vineyards in 2025. It is the only German wine-growing region assigned to EU Wine Zone B, which requires higher must weights than elsewhere in Germany. The Pinot family dominates, covering 61 percent of the vineyard area.

Drill Baden. Flashcards and trivia on the region and its wines.

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Geography and Climate

Baden stretches about 400 kilometers from the Tauber Valley in the north to Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the south, taking in the upper Rhine Valley adjacent to the Black Forest from Heidelberg to the Swiss border. The region runs along the Upper Rhine Graben. Vineyards sit at 120 to 250 meters on the Badische Bergstraße and 120 to 330 meters in the Kraichgau, rising to 560 meters in the Hegau near Lake Constance, the highest vines in Germany. The climate is sunny and warm, and the Kaiserstuhl is Germany's warmest area; Baden averages well over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, an annual average temperature of almost 11 degrees Celsius and 600 to 1,200 mm of rain. Mediterranean air flows into the Rhine Valley through the Burgundian Gate between the Vosges and the Jura. Baden is the only German wine-growing region assigned to EU Wine Zone B, which requires higher must weights than elsewhere in Germany; it shares that zone with Champagne, Alsace and the Loire.

Nine districts: Tauberfranken, Badische Bergstraße, Kraichgau, Ortenau, Breisgau, Kaiserstuhl, Tuniberg, Markgräflerland and Lake Constance (Bodensee)
The Kaiserstuhl, a volcanic massif northwest of Freiburg rising to 556 meters, has about 4,200 hectares of vines and more than 2,700 hours of sunshine a year
Freiburg is the wine town with the highest annual temperatures in Germany
At Lake Constance, the lake acts as a heat store that evens out temperature swings between day and night and between summer and winter

Key Facts

Third-largest German wine region: 15,142 ha of vineyards in 2025
About 400 km north to south, from the Tauber Valley to Lake Constance
The only German wine-growing region assigned to EU Wine Zone B
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) led plantings in 2023 with 5,029 ha, 32.1% of the area
Nine districts, from Tauberfranken in the north to Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the south
About 100 cooperatives produce and market about 85% of the region's wine
VDP.Baden founded in 1986 in Angelbachtal-Michelfeld; its origins go back to 1907

Soils

Tauberfranken has shell-limestone soils; elsewhere the soils vary widely and include keuper, loam, loess, granite, clay, limestone and sand. The Kaiserstuhl is an extinct volcano, and glacial deposits (moraine) are typical of the Bodensee district. Subsoils range from limestone, volcanic rock, gneiss and granite to gypsum keuper, covered in many places by loess. Tauberfranken has heat-storing Buntsandstein and Muschelkalk soils, and the best Ortenau sites have granite, gneiss, Buntsandstein and weathered granite. On the Kaiserstuhl's leeward sides the volcanic tuff is overlain by loess up to 40 meters deep, while the neighbouring Tuniberg sits on hard limestone covered by a thick layer of loess.

Kaiserstuhl: on the south and southwest sides the volcanic rock can heat up to 70 degrees Celsius during the day
Tauberfranken: Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein from here may be bottled in the Franconian Bocksbeutel, the only wines outside Bavaria allowed to, apart from four Ortslagen in the Ortenau
Ortenau: steep slopes make up about 60 percent of its roughly 2,700 hectares of vines
Lake Constance: vines on the shore stand on moraine gravel from ice-age glaciers, and the weathered soils tend to give the wines a filigree elegance and fruitiness

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Grape Varieties and Wine Styles

The German Wine Institute calls Baden "true Pinot country": the Pinot family covers 9,162 hectares, 61 percent of the vineyard area, and Baden ranks first in Germany for Pinot Noir (4,765 ha) and Pinot Blanc (1,640 ha). In the 2023 statistics, Spätburgunder led with 5,029 ha (32.1 percent of 15,727 ha), followed by Grauburgunder at 2,398 ha (15.3 percent), Müller-Thurgau at 2,160 ha (13.8 percent), Weißburgunder at 1,660 ha (10.6 percent), Gutedel at 1,021 ha (6.5 percent) and Riesling at 875 ha (5.6 percent), with a white-to-red ratio of 62 to 38. The Markgräflerland grows 971 ha of Gutedel, and Souvignier Gris, bred in Freiburg, now covers 188 hectares in Baden, more than anywhere else in Germany. The mix shifts along the region: Rivaner, Riesling and Pinot Meunier (Schwarzriesling) dominate in Tauberfranken, the Badische Bergstraße and the Kraichgau; Riesling and Pinot Noir lead in the Ortenau; red and white Burgundy varieties prevail in the Breisgau, Kaiserstuhl and Tuniberg; and Lake Constance is known above all for Pinot Noir and Müller-Thurgau. Baden's Zone B status requires higher must weights than elsewhere in Germany, and its geological and climatic conditions tend to yield fruity, mineral whites and full-bodied reds. Under the Weinverordnung, a Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein Rotling made only from grapes harvested in Baden may be labelled Badisch Rotgold with the addition "Grauburgunder und Spätburgunder".

Spätburgunder: 5,029 ha, 32.1 percent of plantings in 2023; Charles III (Karl III.) planted the first Spätburgunder vines at Lake Constance in 884
Gutedel (Chasselas): Germany grows it almost exclusively in the Markgräflerland, where it was introduced in 1780 on the order of the Margrave of Baden
Riesling is known in the Ortenau as Klingelberger, after the Klingelberg site below Schloss Staufenberg in Durbach, where the Margrave of Baden had the first Riesling vines planted around 250 years ago
Badisch Rotgold: under § 32 of the Weinverordnung, a Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein Rotling (a pale to light red wine made by blending white and red grapes) may carry this name, with the addition "Grauburgunder und Spätburgunder", only if its grapes were harvested exclusively in Baden

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History and Structure

Ihringen, on the Kaiserstuhl, was already a notable wine-growing centre by 962, and the Romans likely planted the first vines there. On Reichenau, an island in Lake Constance, abbot Heito I planted the first vines in 818; the island was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000. At the Winklerberg in Ihringen, Georg Ernst Lythin was the first grower, in 1813, to plant noble varieties such as Pinot, Traminer and Muskateller. Baden wine introduced the slogan "Von der Sonne verwöhnt" in 1960. VDP.Baden traces its origins to 1907, when four natural wine growing associations were founded; the organisation was reactivated in Offenburg in 1950, and VDP.Baden was founded in Angelbachtal-Michelfeld in 1986. The region counts 16 collective vineyard sites and more than 300 individual sites. Most growers belong to the roughly 100 cooperatives that produce and market about 85% of the region's wine, and the regional cooperative cellars in Breisach are the largest in Europe and the fourth-largest in the world. Baden is one of the 13 specified wine regions (bestimmte Anbaugebiete) set out in § 3 of the Weingesetz, listed separately from Württemberg.

Reichenau: the Winzerverein Reichenau, founded in 1896, is today the smallest independent cooperative in Baden, with members farming 18 hectares on the island
VDP.Baden: founded in 1986; introduced the four-level VDP classification system in 2012
About 100 cooperatives produce and market about 85% of Baden's wine
Exports play a minor role, and nearly half of production is sold in supermarkets

Sources and last verified

Primary sources (German Wine Institute, the Weingesetz and Weinverordnung, the Badischer Weinbauverband, VDP, and producers' own sites for their own wines): https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-regions/growing-area/65/baden, https://www.winesofgermany.com/fileadmin/DWI/News_Medien/PDF/Statistik_2024-2025.pdf, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/weing_1994/__3.html, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-regions/highlight-of-wine-culture/148/volcanic-rock-garden-winklerberg, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-regions/highlight-of-wine-culture/261/the-wine-island-of-reichenau, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/geschuetzter-ursprung, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/klima-witterung, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/terroir, https://www.badischerwein.de/ueber-uns/was-uns-ausmacht, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/kaiserstuhl, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/markgraeflerland, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/tauberfranken, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/bodensee, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/ortenau, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/tuniberg, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/kraichgau, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-herkunft/weinregionen/badische-bergstrasse, https://www.badischerwein.de/unsere-weine/rebsorten/rote-rebsorten, https://www.vdp.de/en/the-wines/the-vdpregions/baden, https://weingut-stigler.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/VDP_Weingut_Stigler_Weinliste_Privat_April-2026-2.pdf, https://www.heger-weine.de/de/shop/weingut-dr-heger.html, https://weingut-ziereisen.de/?page_id=565, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/weinv_1995/__32.html. Last verified 2026-10-05

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Classification

Classification ladders

Ripeness scale

German Prädikat

Germany Full article 6 tiers, lowest to highest

6Trockenbeerenauslese
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), the pinnacle, requires a minimum of 150°Oe from individually selected, botrytis-shrivelled, raisin-like berries.
min 150 Oe
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), the pinnacle, requires a minimum of 150°Oe from individually selected, botrytis-shrivelled, raisin-like berries.
From German Prädikatswein Classification
5Eiswein
Eiswein, at the same ripeness level as Beerenauslese (minimum 110-128°Oe), requires only healthy, botrytis-free grapes frozen naturally on the vine to at least -7 degrees Celsius and pressed while frozen.
min 110 Oeharvested at minus 7 degrees Celsius or colder
Eiswein, made from grapes as ripe as Beerenauslese (minimum 110-128°Oe by region), must be harvested and pressed while frozen; at least -7 degrees Celsius is required before the grapes can be harvested, and growers aim for healthy grapes without botrytis, which gives a fresh, concentrated fruit taste with relatively stable acidity.
From German Prädikatswein Classification
4Beerenauslese
Under the Weingesetz, if, exceptionally, no noble rot has occurred because of the variety or the weather, overripeness of the shrivelled berries is enough, and hand harvesting is required for both Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
Under the Weingesetz, if, exceptionally, no noble rot has occurred because of the variety or the weather, overripeness of the shrivelled berries is enough, and hand harvesting is required for both Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
From German Prädikatswein Classification
3Auslese
Auslese ('selected harvest') requires 83-100°Oe, with grapes hand-selected from very ripe bunches, sometimes touched by botrytis.
min 83 Oe83 to 100 degrees Oechsle
Auslese ('selection') requires 83-100°Oe; the Weingesetz allows only fully ripe or nobly rotten grapes, unripe berries are separated out, and the wines are often intense in aroma and taste but not always sweet.
From German Prädikatswein Classification
2Spätlese
Spätlese, meaning 'late harvest,' requires a minimum of 76-90°Oe, with the grapes picked after the main harvest.
min 76 Oe
Spätlese, meaning 'late harvest,' requires a minimum of 76-90°Oe depending on region; the Weingesetz allows only fully ripe grapes picked in a late harvest, and the wines tend to show more intense flavor and concentration, though they too can be vinified dry.
From German Prädikatswein Classification
1Kabinett
Kabinett is the entry level of Prädikatswein, made from ripe grapes at 67-82°Oe depending on region.
min 67 Oe67-82°Oe depending on region
Kabinett is the entry level of Prädikatswein, made from ripe grapes at 67-82°Oe depending on region.
From German Prädikatswein Classification

A Prädikat indicates the ripeness of grapes at harvest, not the sugar remaining in the wine; Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese can all be vinified fully dry.
Eiswein was used in conjunction with other Prädikate before 1982, when it became its own independent category.
There are no upper ripeness limits for any Prädikat level, so a producer may harvest at Spätlese ripeness but label the wine as Kabinett.

Tiers, criteria and figures come only from German Prädikatswein Classification own text. Tap a rung for its criteria and the sentence behind it.

Geographic tiers

German Wine Quality Categories

Germany Full article 4 tiers, lowest to highest

4Prädikatswein
Prädikatswein, the top tier, cannot be chaptalized and must meet specific minimum Oechsle readings depending on region and grape variety.
100% from named areaKabinett 70 - 85, Spätlese 76 - 95, Auslese 83 - 105, Beerenauslese and Eiswein 110 - 128, Trockenbeerenauslese 150 - 154 Oechsle
Prädikatswein, the top tier, cannot be chaptalized and must meet specific minimum Oechsle readings depending on region and grape variety.
From German Wine Classification
3Qualitätswein
Qualitätswein must originate entirely from one of Germany's 13 designated regions and is wine with a protected designation of origin that has passed an official analytical and sensory quality examination, with chaptalization permitted.
100% from named area
Qualitätswein must originate entirely from one of Germany's 13 designated regions and accounts for the vast majority of German production.
From German Wine Classification, read from two or more sentences
2Landwein
Landwein, equivalent to a protected geographical indication, requires at least 85 percent of grapes from the named region.
85% from named area
Landwein, equivalent to a protected geographical indication, requires at least 85 percent of grapes from the named region.
From German Wine Classification
1Deutscher Wein
Deutscher Wein is the basic table wine category requiring only that grapes be grown in Germany, with a minimum of 8.5% alcohol and total acidity of at least 3.5 g/l and no geographic designation required on the label.
minimum 8.5% alcohol and total acidity of at least 3.5 g/l
At the base sits Deutscher Wein, the basic table wine category requiring only that grapes be grown in Germany.
From German Wine Classification, read from two or more sentences

The Prädikat describes ripeness at harvest, not sweetness in the finished wine; wines up to and including Auslese can be vinified dry, off-dry, or sweet.
The top category was known as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) until officially renamed Prädikatswein on August 1, 2007.
The 2021 Wine Law, in force from 27 January 2021 and binding from the 2026 vintage, added a parallel geographic pyramid of Anbaugebiet, Region, Ortswein and Lagenwein.

Tiers, criteria and figures come only from German Wine Classification own text. Tap a rung for its criteria and the sentence behind it.

Geographic tiers

VDP Classification

Germany Full article 5 tiers, lowest to highest

5Grosses GewächsGrosses Gewächs (GG)
The article names this tier without stating its criteria.
Grosses Gewächs must contain no more than nine grams of residual sugar and are released no earlier than September 1 of the year following harvest for whites, and a year later for reds.
From VDP Classification, read from two or more sentences
4Grosse Lage
Grosse Lage (grand cru equivalent) represents Germany's finest sites: yields are limited to 50 hl/ha, harvesting must be done selectively by hand, and dry wines from these sites carry the Grosses Gewächs (GG) designation.
yields limited to 50 hl/ha
Examples Erbach
Grosse Lage (grand cru equivalent) represents Germany's finest sites: yields are limited to 50 hl/ha, harvesting must be done selectively by hand, and dry wines from these sites carry the Grosses Gewächs (GG) designation.
From VDP Classification
3Erste Lage
Erste Lage (premier cru equivalent) requires optimal growing conditions, hand harvesting, and a yield ceiling of 60 hl/ha.
yield ceiling of 60 hl/ha
Erste Lage (premier cru equivalent) requires optimal growing conditions, hand harvesting, and a yield ceiling of 60 hl/ha.
From VDP Classification
2Ortswein
Ortswein (village wine) must originate from a single village using regionally defined varieties.
same yield ceiling as Gutswein (75 hl/ha)
Ortswein (village wine) must originate from a single village using regionally defined varieties.
From VDP Classification
1Gutswein
Gutswein (estate wine) forms the base, with grapes from estate-owned vineyards and a maximum yield of 75 hl/ha.
maximum yield of 75 hl/ha
Gutswein (estate wine) forms the base, with grapes from estate-owned vineyards and a maximum yield of 75 hl/ha.
From VDP Classification

The four-tier classification was unanimously adopted at an extraordinary general meeting in 2012, building on the Grosses Gewächs concept first defined in 2002.
The tiers are based purely on vineyard origin, paralleling the Burgundian approach of Premier Cru and Grand Cru.
VDP standards consistently exceed German wine law, mandating lower yields, hand harvesting at top tiers, and strict tasting panel approval.

Tiers, criteria and figures come only from VDP Classification own text. Tap a rung for its criteria and the sentence behind it.

Sweetness levels

German Sweetness Designations

Germany Full article 4 tiers, lowest to highest

4Süß
Süß is the German label term for any wine whose residual sugar exceeds the Halbtrocken threshold of 18 g/L, with no legal ceiling imposed on sweetness.
above 18 g/L RS with no upper legal limit
Süß is the German label term for any wine whose residual sugar exceeds the Halbtrocken threshold of 18 g/L, with no legal ceiling imposed on sweetness.
From Süß (Sweet: No Legal Maximum RS)
3Lieblichlieblich
The article names this tier without stating its criteria.
An informal intermediate term, lieblich, sometimes describes wines in the 18 to 45 g/L RS range, while süß in the strictest EU sense refers to wines above 45 g/L.
From Süß (Sweet: No Legal Maximum RS), read from two or more sentences
2Halbtrocken
Halbtrocken (off-dry) is the legally defined sweetness category with a maximum of 18 g/L residual sugar.
maximum 18 g/L RS
German wine law establishes three legally defined sweetness categories based on residual sugar in the finished wine: Trocken (dry, maximum 9 g/L RS), Halbtrocken (off-dry, maximum 18 g/L RS), and Süß (sweet, above 18 g/L RS with no upper legal limit).
From Süß (Sweet: No Legal Maximum RS)
1Trocken
Trocken (dry) is a legally defined sweetness category with a maximum of 9 g/L residual sugar (up to 4 g/L strictly, with an acidity-based allowance to 9 g/L).
maximum 9 g/L RS
Trocken: maximum 9 g/L RS (up to 4 g/L strictly, with acidity-based allowance to 9 g/L); Halbtrocken: maximum 18 g/L RS; Süß: above 18 g/L RS with no ceiling
From Süß (Sweet: No Legal Maximum RS)

The sweetness designations operate on an entirely separate axis from the Prädikat ripeness system, which measures must weight at harvest.
Lieblich is an informal term, not a legally defined category; EU regulation formally defines süß as above 45 g/L RS, though German labeling practice uses Süß for the entire above-Halbtrocken range.
The Weingesetz of 14 July 1971 codified the Trocken/Halbtrocken/Süß framework that still governs German labeling.

Tiers, criteria and figures come only from Süß (Sweet: No Legal Maximum RS) own text. Tap a rung for its criteria and the sentence behind it.

Flavor Profile

Fuller-bodied reds and whites with higher alcohol than most German regions. Spätburgunder shows dark cherry, earthiness, and structure. Grauburgunder and Weißburgunder are dry, mineral, and textured. Riesling here is riper and rounder than in the Mosel. Gutedel from Markgräflerland is light, soft, and approachable.

Food Pairings

Roast duck or goose with SpätburgunderGrilled salmon or trout with GrauburgunderSoft cheeses and charcuterie with GutedelWild mushroom risotto with aged SpätburgunderRoast pork with WeißburgunderOnion tart (Zwiebelkuchen) with dry Müller-Thurgau

Wines to Try

Weingut Stigler Ihringer Winklerberg Grauburgunder€21.50 (estate price list, April 2026, 2024 vintage)
A Grauburgunder from the Ihringer Winklerberg on the Kaiserstuhl, where terraces of weathered volcanic soil with limestone inclusions tend to yield full-bodied, mineral-rich wines.
Compare prices
Dr. Heger Ihringer Winklerberg Spätburgunder GG€57.00 (estate shop, 2011 vintage)
A VDP.Grosse Lage Spätburgunder from the Winklerberg in Ihringen, on the sloping remains of an extinct volcano, labelled by the estate as Barrique and trocken (dry).
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Ziereisen Jaspis Spätburgunder
Jaspis is the name the Efringen-Kirchen estate reserves for its very best wines, from its best terroir, oldest vines and best barrels; these wines may not be made in every vintage.
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How to Say It

BadenBAH-den

AnbaugebietAN-bow-geh-beet

SpätburgunderSHPAYT-boor-gun-der

GrauburgunderGROW-boor-gun-der

WeißburgunderVICE-boor-gun-der

KaiserstuhlKY-zer-shtool

GutedelGOO-teh-del

Badisch RotgoldBAH-dish ROHT-golt

Exam Study NotesWSET / CMS

Baden is the only German wine-growing region assigned to EU Wine Zone B, which requires higher must weights than elsewhere in Germany
Spätburgunder led Baden's plantings in 2023 with 5,029 ha (32.1%); the Pinot family covers 61% of the vineyard area
Baden has nine districts; the Kaiserstuhl, an extinct volcano, is Germany's warmest area
About 100 cooperatives produce and market about 85% of Baden's wine
Third-largest German region at 15,142 ha (2025), stretching about 400 km from the Tauber Valley to Lake Constance

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