Tafelwein, Landwein, Qualitätswein, Prädikatswein – no other country boasts so many wine quality classes as Germany. German table wine is produced from German grapes and must contain at least 8.5% alcohol. German Landwein (country wine) is a table wine made from grapes from a designated wine growing region. The grapes used to produce a Qualitätswein (quality wine) from a designated wine growing area (QbA) must have a minimum must weight (between 50 and 72 degrees Oechsle depending on the area) and must originate to 100% from a designated area.

Prädikatswein (categorized wine) is the highest quality class of German wines. There are six categories with varying minimum must weights depending of the grape variety and wine-growing region. All grapes used to produce such a wine must originate from one single vineyard.

• Kabinett: light wines made from ripe grapes.
• Spätlese: ripe, elegant wines from late harvest grapes.
• Auslese: fruity, noble wines made from fully ripened grapes, unripe berries are removed.
• Beerenauslese: full-bodied, fruity wines made from overripe, noble rot infected berries.
• Trockenbeerenauslese: made from dried, noble rot infected berries.
• Eiswein: made from overripe, noble rot infected berries that have been harvested at temperatures below – 7°C and pressed in a frozen state.

is the business card of the wine. It contains a wealth of important information for the potential buyer of the bottle: vintage, grape variety, origin, quality class, taste description, alcohol content, producer and the official identification number. While some of this information is compulsory, other may be added on a voluntary basis. In the case of German Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein the label must contain the relevant quality class and the name of the wine-growing area. The producer may choose to add the name of the wine-growing community or a particular vineyard. In addition to this, the label must contain the official identification number, the name of the estate or the producer (Gutsabfüllung / Erzeugerabfüllung), the alcohol content in percent volume and the contents of the bottle. The vintage or the grape variety may only be included if at least 85% of the grapes were harvested in that particular year.

In recent years, more attention has been placed on the individual design of the bottle labels. Progressive graphical designs show that the German wine producers are keeping up with contemporary trends. In these cases, the voluntary information is included on the back label to maintain clarity of the front label.