The German wine label decoded

The German wine label is said to intimidate people. I find it useful, because of all the information it offers. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the font size the less you need to worry about it. The AP number is useful for bureaucracy and professional wine tasters.

Germans like to be precise. And for once you should be grateful for that. No other label will give you that much information. The Germans told you which grape variety is in the bottle long before the Californians did. They'll tell you if a Riesling is bone dry or lavishly sweet. It's all on the label. Read it or leave it.