The wine system in Germany looks incredibly complex but once mastered allows anyone to tell what is inside the bottle without even opening the bottle. The grading is essentially down to the sugar level in the grape at time of harvest and ises as follows:
* Kabinett
* Spatlese
* Auslese
* Beerenauslese
* Trockenbeerenauslese
* Eiswein
German wine may be vinified to different levels to achieve a fruitier and lower alcohol style of wine. You will see these on the label as:
* Trocken - dry
* Halbtrocken - semi dry
The drier styles of German wines are highly sought-after for their pairing with food.