German Prädikatswein Classification

The Weingesetz defines Prädikatswein as a wine with a protected designation of origin that has undergone an official quality test and meets minimum requirements for production method and grape ripeness that exceed those for Qualitätswein. According to Decanter, the designation Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) was simplified to Prädikatswein with effect from 1 August 2007. Under § 20 of the Weingesetz, a German wine may carry one of the terms Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese or Eiswein only once the Prädikat has been granted on application together with an official test number (amtliche Prüfungsnummer). The Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI) states that since 1971 every Qualität and Prädikat wine has been chemically analysed by an approved laboratory and sensory tested by an official body, and that 7.34 million hectolitres of wine were officially tested for quality in 2022. The VDP lists among the weaknesses of the Wine Act of 1971 that thousands of vineyards were lumped together into vineyard blocks named for the best-known vineyard within, and the sugar content of the grape juice alone determined the quality classification. According to the DWI, an amendment to the German Wine Law in 1982 raised Eiswein to an independent Prädikat. The 10th Act amending the Wine Act came into force on 27 January 2021; the DWI states that the new regulations are binding from the 2026 vintage and that the existing Prädikat levels from Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese remain unaffected.

• The Weingesetz defines Prädikatswein by an official quality test plus minimum requirements for production method and grape ripeness above those for Qualitätswein.
• Decanter reported that the name Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) was simplified to Prädikatswein with effect from 1 August 2007.
• Eiswein became an independent Prädikat through a 1982 amendment to the German Wine Law, according to the DWI.
• The 2021 reform came into force on 27 January 2021 and is binding from the 2026 vintage; the DWI states the Prädikat levels remain unaffected.

Ripeness for each Prädikat is expressed as must weight, measured in degrees Oechsle (°Oe). The DWI explains that the scale is named after its inventor, the Württemberg pharmacist and mechanic Ferdinand Oechsle, and that must weight denotes the weight ratio of one litre of must to one litre of water at 20°C, so a ratio of 1.076 means 76 degrees Oechsle. In the DWI's example, a must of 90°Oe contains 209 grams of sugar per litre, which after fermentation gives 12 to 13% alcohol by volume, and Beerenauslese musts of 120°Oe or higher reach sugar concentrations of over 300 grams per litre. The legal thresholds are set regionally: Weingesetz § 17 has the state governments fix natural minimum alcohol levels, taking account of climate, soil and grape variety, graded by Prädikat. In wine-growing zone A the Prädikatswein minimum may not fall below 9.5% vol, with a reduction to 9.0% vol permitted for certain varieties and sites in the Ahr, Mittelrhein, Mosel and Saale-Unstrut; in zone B it may not fall below 10.0% vol. The DWI states that each Prädikat has a defined minimum must weight depending on grape variety and region, and that requirements are usually higher in southern regions. Achieving a higher Prädikat does not automatically mean a sweeter wine: the DWI describes Spätlese as not necessarily sweet and Auslese as not always sweet.

• Oechsle measures must weight, the density of grape must relative to water at 20°C, which the DWI says primarily results from its sugar content.
• Minimum must weights vary by region and grape variety: wein.plus gives 67 to 82°Oe for Kabinett, and the DWI gives a minimum of 150°Oe for Trockenbeerenauslese.
• The Weingesetz requires at least 7% vol actual alcohol for Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese, and at least 5.5% vol for Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.
• The DWI notes that in noble sweet wines the yeasts do not manage to ferment all of the natural sugar, so such wines generally have very little alcohol.

Kabinett is the entry level of Prädikatswein, made from ripe grapes at 67-82°Oe depending on region. The DWI describes Kabinett as fine, light wines with low alcohol content, and wein.plus notes they can be vinified in all flavours from dry to residual sweet. 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. 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. Beerenauslese (BA) requires 110-128°Oe by region; grapes must be overripe or nobly rotten berries (Botrytis cinerea), selectively harvested by hand, berry by berry, producing remarkably rich, sweet wines that the DWI says can be stored for decades. Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA), the pinnacle, requires a minimum of 150°Oe from individually selected, botrytis-shrivelled, raisin-like berries. The Weingesetz adds that if, exceptionally, no noble rot has occurred because of the variety or the weather, overripeness of the shrivelled berries is enough, and it requires hand harvesting for both Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. Eiswein, made from grapes as ripe as Beerenauslese (minimum 110-128°Oe by region), must be harvested and pressed while frozen; the DWI states that at least -7 degrees Celsius is required before the grapes can be harvested, and that growers aim for healthy grapes without botrytis, which gives a fresh, concentrated fruit taste with relatively stable acidity.

• Kabinett (67-82°Oe): the first Prädikat, light wines with low alcohol, vinified from dry to residual sweet; Spätlese (76-90°Oe): fully ripe grapes from a late harvest, not necessarily sweet.
• Auslese (83-100°Oe): fully ripe or nobly rotten grapes with unripe berries separated out; state governments may require hand harvesting for Auslese and Eiswein.
• Beerenauslese (110-128°Oe): overripe or nobly rotten berries, hand harvested by law; Eiswein (110-128°Oe): grapes harvested and pressed frozen, at least -7°C per the DWI.
• Trockenbeerenauslese (150°Oe minimum): largely shrivelled, nobly rotten berries, hand harvested by law; the DWI calls TBA the top of the quality pyramid and notes it cannot be harvested every vintage.

The DWI says a Prädikat describes the ripeness of the grapes and the type of harvest. The DWI defines trocken (dry) as up to 4 g/l residual sugar, or up to 9 g/l if the total acidity, expressed as tartaric acid, is at most 2 g/l lower than the residual sugar. Halbtrocken (semi-dry) wines may have up to 12 g/l, or up to 18 g/l if the residual sugar does not exceed the acidity by more than 10 g/l, and semi-sweet wines reach a maximum of 45 g/l. The DWI calls feinherb an unofficial term that is not clearly defined or regulated by wine law, usually placed between semi-dry and sweet. wein.plus states that Kabinett and Spätlese can be vinified in all flavours from dry to residual sweet, and the DWI describes Auslese as not always sweet. According to the DWI, half of all German Qualität and Prädikat wines were marketed in the dry style in 2022; in the 2023 official quality tests, 3,595,000 of the 6,987,000 hectolitres tested were trocken, per the DWI's Deutscher Wein Statistik 2024/2025, compiled by the Deutscher Weinbauverband. Under Weinverordnung § 16, Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein may be sweetened only with grape must, and § 21 bars a test number for Prädikatswein made using oak chips or alcohol correction. For Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, the DWI notes the yeasts do not manage to ferment all of the natural sugar, and German Eiswein generally has well over 100 grams of residual sugar per litre with often only around 7% vol alcohol.

• Trocken: up to 4 g/l, or up to 9 g/l when total acidity is at most 2 g/l lower than the residual sugar (DWI).
• Halbtrocken: up to 12 g/l, or up to 18 g/l when residual sugar exceeds acidity by no more than 10 g/l; feinherb is not regulated by wine law (DWI).
• The DWI states that half of all German Qualität and Prädikat wines were marketed dry in 2022.
• Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein may be sweetened only with grape must, under Weinverordnung § 16.

The VDP (VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter) states that in 1910 four regional growers' associations merged to form the Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer, which later became the VDP, and that it has around 200 members. The VDP says its classification is not stipulated in German wine law but reflects its own private regulations, and that its four-stage model of VDP.GUTSWEIN, VDP.ORTSWEIN, VDP.ERSTE LAGE and VDP.GROSSE LAGE was unanimously adopted in January 2012, analogous to the Burgundian classification with Premier Crus and Grands Crus. According to the VDP, today's classification of vineyard quality is based, among other things, on historical maps of German winegrowing. The VDP calls dry wines from VDP.GROSSE LAGE sites VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS, while fruity and noble sweet wines from these sites carry the classic predicates Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein. The VDP states that VDP.GROSSE LAGE harvests are limited to a maximum yield of 50 hectoliters per hectare and that the grapes are harvested selectively by hand. At the national level, the DWI describes the 2021 reform as creating a four-level pyramid of origin within protected-designation wines: the wine-growing region, the 'Region' level for defined areas or former large vineyards, the village or district, and the single vineyard. Under Weinverordnung § 39, a village or single-vineyard name requires must of at least the natural minimum alcohol set for Kabinett, and single-vineyard wines may not be sold to consumers before 1 March of the year after harvest. The current Weinverordnung (§ 30) treats Erstes Gewächs and Großes Gewächs as quality marks of the Komitee – Klassifikation Erster und Großer Lagen in Deutschland e. V., and allows use under the previous rules until that body's approved rules take effect, at the latest up to and including the 2030 vintage.

• The VDP traces its predecessor association to 1910 and states it has around 200 members.
• VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS denotes a dry wine from a VDP.GROSSE LAGE site; fruity and noble sweet wines from those sites carry the classic predicates (VDP).
• VDP.GROSSE LAGE yields are capped at 50 hl/ha, with selective hand harvesting (VDP).
• The 2021 law adds a four-level origin pyramid; village and single-vineyard wines need must of at least Kabinett-level natural alcohol (DWI; Weinverordnung § 39).

Weingesetz § 3 lists 13 specified wine-growing regions (Anbaugebiete) for Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein: Ahr, Baden, Franken, Hessische Bergstraße, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen and Württemberg. The DWI states that Prädikatswein must come 100% from one of these 13 regions and pass the quality wine test. Must-weight minimums differ between them: the DWI notes requirements are usually higher in southern regions, and the Weingesetz allows the Prädikatswein natural minimum alcohol to drop to 9.0% vol for certain varieties and sites only in the Ahr, Mittelrhein, Mosel and Saale-Unstrut. The DWI describes Eiswein as a specialty that can only be produced in northern wine regions and says it is becoming rarer as Germany experiences warmer winters. In the 2023 official quality tests, 372,000 of the 638,000 hectolitres tested in the Mosel were in the mild or sweet (lieblich, süß) style, per the DWI's Deutscher Wein Statistik 2024/2025.

• Prädikatswein can come from any of the 13 Anbaugebiete named in the Weingesetz and must be 100% from one of them (DWI).
• Must-weight requirements are usually higher in southern regions (DWI).
• The reduced 9.0% vol Prädikatswein minimum applies only in the Ahr, Mittelrhein, Mosel and Saale-Unstrut, for certain varieties and sites (Weingesetz § 17).
• 2023 quality tests: 372,000 of 638,000 hl tested in the Mosel were mild or sweet (DWI statistics).

Primary sources (the Weingesetz and Weinverordnung on the federal law portal, the Deutsches Weininstitut, and the VDP for its own classification): https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/weing_1994/BJNR146710994.html, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/weinv_1995/BJNR063010995.html, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/quality-standards/quality-standard/449/pr%C3%A4dikat-categories, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/quality-standards/quality-standard/182/must-weights, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/quality-standards/quality-standard/180/proven-qualitiy, https://www.winesofgermany.com/wine-industry/wine-law-and-regulations, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/quality-standards/quality-standard/462/new-origin-pyramid-for-qualit%C3%A4t-and-pr%C3%A4dikat-wines, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/wine-tasting/wine-tasting/195/levels-of-sweetness-in-german-wines, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/wine-tasting/wine-tasting/418/ice-wine, https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/wine-tasting/wine-tasting/192/noble-sweet-wines, https://www.winesofgermany.com/glossary-entries?tx_dpnglossary_glossary%5Baction%5D=show&tx_dpnglossary_glossary%5Bcontroller%5D=Term&tx_dpnglossary_glossary%5Bterm%5D=20&cHash=e7fd0c83e74bc411ea0e484a1396b0f4, https://www.winesofgermany.com/glossary-entries?tx_dpnglossary_glossary%5Baction%5D=show&tx_dpnglossary_glossary%5Bcontroller%5D=Term&tx_dpnglossary_glossary%5Bterm%5D=101&cHash=40f3a577852fa383e4045ad921e7e76f, https://www.winesofgermany.com/fileadmin/DWI/News_Medien/PDF/Statistik_2024-2025.pdf, https://www.vdp.de/en/the-wines/classification, https://www.vdp.de/en/vdp/association, https://www.vdp.de/en/vdp/history. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/mosel-saar-ruwer-shortens-name-to-mosel-88185/, https://magazine.wein.plus/faq/wine-appellation/what-does-cabinet-mean, https://magazine.wein.plus/faq/wine-appellation/what-does-spaetlese-mean. Last verified 2026-09-28