Riesling and the sweetness trap

Glossary

Terms that have earned their place

Residual sugar

Sugar remaining in wine after fermentation.

Perceived sweetness

The sensory impression created by sugar within the complete wine.

Prädikat

A German category connected to grape ripeness at harvest and production, separate from finished-wine taste terms.

Trocken

A regulated German dry term: normally up to 4 g/L residual sugar, or up to 9 when the acidity rule is met.

Halbtrocken

A regulated German semi-dry term: normally up to 12 g/L residual sugar, or up to 18 when its acidity rule is met.

Lieblich

A regulated German sweetness term above the halbtrocken limit through 45 g/L residual sugar.

Süß

A regulated German sweetness term above 45 g/L residual sugar.

Feinherb

A permitted German label term with no legally fixed sweetness range.

Kabinett

A Prädikat category, not a sweetness guarantee; it may appear with several different taste terms.

Schlegel or hock bottle

A traditional tall, slender bottle associated with Rhine, Mosel, and Alsace wines; its shape does not prove sweetness or grape.