Kabinett is a wine in the series of Qualitätsweinen mit Prädikat. In German-speaking wine-growing areas, it is the lowest step. In terms of ranking, the Kabinett is between the Qualitätswein (without Prädikat) and the Spätlese in. The quality - in the sense of taste appreciation - is ultimately determined by the winemaker. The place in the ranking is mainly a winegrowing fact. For example, a Cabinet must have a certain minimum mustweight in degrees Oechsle . Ranging from 73 degrees in most German wine regions to as much as 85 degrees in the German Baden and Austria. The grape variety used, harvest dates and the ban on chaptalization are also important points. Incidentally, in Austria the Kabinett does not belong to the range of Prädikat wines.
Most Kabinett wines contain a little or more residual sweetness and are therefore semi-dry or sweet with an alcohol percentage of up to about 10%. However, especially in the Moselle region, there are winegrowers who can let the must ferment well in order to achieve a dry Kabinett. This wine has an alcohol percentage of up to 12.5%.
In the Middle Ages, the wine cellar in the monastery of Eberbach on the Rheingau was renamed the "treasury of particularly valuable wines" by the monks at the time. This “room” was carefully furnished, like a “Cabinet” after the French word for salon (furniture). The term Kabinett would have been derived from this. So it was already about better wines that were sold after aging.
