German wine now offers a beautiful quality for a reasonable price. German white wine is fresh, tight and pure. Most German white wine is made from the Riesling grape. German red wine is elegant and smooth, often made from Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). Many German winemakers rely on the best technique in the cellar and a solid professional knowledge.
In Germany, more than 80,000 winegrowers produce around 90,000 hectoliters of wine per year. This puts Germany in tenth place in the world ranking of wine-producing countries. Rheinhessen, the Pfalz and Baden are the largest regions in terms of production. Most German wine is white. German winemakers are increasingly making red wines, but the relatively cold climate is playing tricks on them. Only grapes with thermal underwear, such as Spätburgunder and Dornfelder, reach full ripeness there. As a result, German red wines are often quite light, fruity and smooth, but qualitatively very interesting if you like this friendly taste style.
Germany is the birthplace of the white Riesling grape. The most varied range of the best Rieslings in the world still comes from Germany. The 'king of white grapes' does very well on the steep banks along the German rivers such as the Rhine, the Mosel and the Nahe. The best probably come from the Mosel and the Rheingau. Like no other grape, the Riesling is sensitive to what is in the soil. A Riesling from limestone tastes different from a Riesling from granite or sand. That is precisely what makes German Rieslings so fascinating. In different German wine regions you come across different soil compositions. In fact: along the steep banks of the Rhine you often find different compositions at different heights in one vineyard. The best Rieslings can - as one of the few white grapes - age very well. Beautiful twenty-year-old Rieslings are not uncommon, but they are rare to find.
For red lovers - and in particular lovers of Pinot Noir - Germany is the Eldorado of Spätburgunders (the German name for Pinot Noir). Many wine drinkers associate the best Pinot Noir wines mainly with French Burgundy. We think you are better off in Germany. Especially in the Ahr, in the Pfalz and in Baden, great Spätburgunders are made. And they offer more value for money than Burgundies for the same price. They are generally riper, fuller and at least as refined.
Germany has thirteen different wine-growing regions. Two of the German wine regions are located in the former East Germany: Sachen and Saale-Unstrut. The rest is in the southwest and west. Some are not far from the Dutch border. The Ahr and the Mosel, for example, are not far from Limburg. Many Dutch people from the south therefore drive across the border to fill their trunk at the German winegrower's.
Many German wine regions are located along the Rhine or another river. This has to do with the fact that it is relatively cool to make wine in Germany. The grapes get a lot of sun on the steep slopes of rivers. In addition, these vineyards are often sheltered from the wind in a 'bowl' where it is warmer than elsewhere. The Ahr, Nahe, the Mosel and the Rheingau, for example, are wine regions where wine growing takes place largely on steep banks.
In the Palatinate and Rheinhessen, the rivers play a less important role. These are areas where there is a lot of production and which are strongly emerging. The German winemakers generally have excellent technology in their cellars and they are well trained. Several - especially in the Pfalz - are innovative and dare to experiment. You increasingly see wines from these wine-growing regions at Dutch liquor stores.
The Riesling and the Spätburgunder may be the flagships of German wine, but they are not alone. No fewer than 140 different white and 35 blue grape varieties have been planted. For white, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauer Burgunder (Pinot Gris), Silvaner and Müller-thurgau are important. More exotic are grapes such as Scheurebe, Auxerrois, Huxelrebe, Elbling and Goldriesling. On the red front, you will find nice wines from Dornfelder, Schwarzriesling, St. Laurent and Portugieser in Germany.
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