comparing German wines to US wines

[Thomas]

While East Coast Rieslings grow in a climate similar to German regions there are no harvesting rules as to sugar content, et al, so terms like spatltese, auslese do not relate, notwithstanding that the styles in New York are also similar to German wines.

Using the term Ice Wine is problematic, since there is a "natural" way to do it (in the vineyard) and another way to do it (in refrigerated compartments). In Canada, producers cannot use the term unless the "natural" method was used to produce it.