German Specialty Wines

German wine is different from the wine offered in most of the world. This is because Germans look for different qualities than most people.

The standard European viewpoint is represented by the German Qualitätswein bestimmer Anbaugebiet (QbA). These wines are from a particular region, much like the French Vins de Pays or VDQS or the Italian DOCG.

Less common is a category like the German Prädikatswein. Prädikatswein is, to put it simply, wine brewed for special qualities.

Most wines are selected by the soil or the type of grape. While these are important to the Germans they don't make a Prädikatswein. A Prädikatswein takes it one step further, and judges it by how potent the grapes themselves are.

The more condensed the juices, and thus the sugars, are within the grape the stronger and more complex the wine will be. There are three ways to boost the potency of grapes in this way: ripening, freezing and what is known as "the noble rot."