Kabinett

Kabinett is not a place but a ripeness level: the lightest rung of Germany's Prädikat ladder, awarded to grapes picked at the lowest permitted must weight. In its classic Mosel and Saar form that means a featherweight, gently off-dry Riesling of about 8 to 9 percent alcohol, all lime, green apple and white flowers stretched taut over piercing acidity — the German aperitif, the wine that handles chilli heat, and one of the few fine whites you can drink a whole glass of at lunch.