wwb@ihuxn.UUCP (09/20/83)
German wine categories are regulated by the German government. There are three major categories of German wines: tafelwein (table wine), qualitaetswein (quality wine), and qualitaets mit praedikate (quality with distinction). Qualitaets mit praedikate is further subdivided into the following categories: kabinett (cabinet), spaetlese (picked late), auslese (select), beerenauslese (selected berries), trockenbeerenauslese (selected, dry berries), and finally eiswein (ice wine). The better the grade, the more sugar in the wine. Kabinett and spaetlese can be used with a meal, beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese, and eiswein are desert wines and are very sweet. Auslese is somewhere in between. The better the grade, the more expensive. Kabinett and spaetlese can be had for $7 to $10 a bottle. Trockenbeerenauslese starts at $30 a bottle and goes way up. Eiswein is rare, it only happens once every two to five years. Spaetlese has a self life of about five years, trockenbeerenauslese can be put up for more than 50 years. There are also other kinds of German wines: sect is a sparkling wine, and there are also good red wines from Germany.