German wine labels can easily intimidate the American wine consumer. There is a tremendous amount of information included on German labels but with a bit of basic decoding knowledge it is not difficult to understand. German wines are traditionally named after the places they come from, usually a combination of a village name and a vineyard name. The village name can be identified as having an –er suffix while the vineyard site often ends with –berg.

The grape variety is also indicated on most German labels. Riesling is the most successful grape in Germany’s cool climate, but you will find other whites such as Müller, Thurgau and Silvaner. In the warmer parts of the country there has been some success with Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir).

The German system assigns the highest rank to the ripest grapes. In a country whose cool climate never guarantees ripeness, it becomes the highest goal. The ascending levels of ripeness are the lowest qualities; Landwein and Tafelwein, Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA), and Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP), which comes in 6 levels.

These 6 Prädikat levels are from least ripe to ripest: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenaulsese, Eiswein and Tockenbeerenauslese. (The Prädikat levels are indicative of the amount of sugar in the grapes at harvest and should not be mistaken as simply an indication of the wines sweetness.)

You may find wines labeled Trocken (dry) or Halbtrocken (semi-dry). Trocken indicates dry wine without perceptible residual sweetness. It never contains more than 9 grams of residual sugar per liter. Halbtrocken wines are semi-dry and may not have more than 18 grams of residual sugar per liter. Wines up to Auslese level may come in dry style. Keep in mind though that not only residual sugar but also acidity, and age, have an important influence on how dry a wine really tastes.

Wines of the Prädikat levels Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese are usually made from grapes infected with noble rot (Botrytis Cinerea). Noble Rot is a fungus that causes grapes to dehydrate. Botrytis-infected grapes have intensely concentrated flavors and the wines are generally richly textured and sweet. Prädikat Eiswein (Ice Wine) is produced from grapes left to partially freeze on the vine which also concentrates the sugar and flavor content of the juice left to ferment.

One of Germany’s 13 wine regions will also be referenced on the label. They are Ahr, Mittelrhein, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Franken, Hessische Bergstrasse, Württemberg, Baden, Saale/Unstrut and Sachsen.

The vintage is the year the grapes were harvested. Vintage is very important when choosing German wines due to the erratic climate of the country. The AP or "Amtliche Prüfnummer," meaning "official approval number" identifies the wine and is required for all QbA and QmP wines.