Wines of Germany
The Ancient Romans are credited with introducing vine cultivation to what is now Germany 2,000 years ago. Over the following centuries, winemaking developed steadily with the vineyard area reaching a peak in the 16th century, covering nearly four times the area of today. War ravaged the industry, but it revitalized in the 1800s with the Riesling grape. German wines represent the world benchmark for this variety, a versatile grape with signature petrol hints.
Germany has a cold climate with a few pockets of warmer areas in its south. As such, most of its vineyards destined for quality wine are planted on steep slopes along major rivers like the Rhine and Mosel. The sharp incline of plantings maximizes exposure to sunshine for healthy grape ripening as does reflected light from the water.
The Riesling grape is the main variety in Germany where it’s grown in most of the country’s 13 official wine regions. Its natural tartness and ability to hang on the vine for an extended time throughout harvest without spoiling make it ideal for a range of wine styles. German Riesling appears in a wide spectrum of expressions from dry, light wines to rich, luscious, sweet styles.
Germany’s other white grape varieties include Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, and Pinot Gris (Grauer Burgunder). As well as Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), black varieties Dornfelder and Trollinger are cultivated.
Germany has a unique wine quality hierarchy. High-standard wines are labeled as Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein and hail from one of the 13 regions. Even more prestigious wines bear the anagram VDP (for Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) on the bottle. Wines from the lower rungs of the quality ladder are labelled Landwein or Deutscher Wein.