Here's a brief guide to words, phrases and abbreviations you're likely to find on German winemaker's websites and in their literature.
This part is words that describe the wine.
Trocken: Dry, often very dry.
Halb-Trocken: Semi-Dry.
Feinherb: Semi-dry, but often with slightly higher residual sugar than allowed as Halb-Trocken. Often used for QbA and the lower Prädikats.
Dezent Restsüß: The normal level of sweetness found in many Prädikatsweins and QbA's that are not labelled as Trocken or Halb-Trocken.
Fruchtig: Literally means Fruity. In this context it has the same meaning as Dezent Restsüß above.
Lieblich: Literally means Lovely. As above, again.
Mild: As above, yet again. I have had a few 'mild' wines that were truly outstanding.
Edelsüß: Literally means 'noble sweet'. Is often used for Goldkapsel or **Auslese** wines or sweeter.
Säure or Sr: Acidity. Expressed in grams per litre, this can give an indication of how acidic the wine is - though there are many different types of acid in wine. A relatively small amount on Malic Acid (the acid in apples) will taste far more acidic than a much higher amount of Tartaric Acid.
Restzucker or RZ or RS: Residual Sugar. Expressed in grams per litre, this is a measure of how sweet the wine is.
Alc. Expressed as a percentage by volume.
Note: the figures for acidity, sweetness, and alcohol are often published on German winemake's websites, and taken together you usually have a good idea of the style of the wine, though also note the reservation about the acidity, above.
And here are some words, phrases and abbreviations that are commonly used but do not directly describe the wine:
AGB's: Terms and Conditions
Angebot: Offers
Ausverkauft: Sold out
Schatzkammer or Schatzkiste: Literally means Treasure Chamber or Treasure Chest. Often where you can find old or rare wines on some winemaker's websites.
Warenkorb: Shopping basket
Weinprobe: Wine tasting