GERMANY - EXPLORE WINE REGIONS IN GERMANY
The beautiful River Mosel, Piesport
Source: Winekeller
Select a wine region and start planning a wine tour in Germany!
Which wine regions in Germany to explore:
German wines today are rated amongst the best wines in the world, for good reason. Germany’s new generation of winemakers are producing distinctive, innovative, food-friendly wines, respecting 2,000 years of wine tradition, combining with quality-oriented, environmentally friendly vineyard practices and state-of-the-art cellar technology.
Germany is one of the most northerly wine-growing countries in the world, so the growing season is long, producing fruity acidity, aromatic and often lower-alcohol wines.
Most of Germany’s vineyards are planted on slopes or steep hills topped by protective forests that check the wind, and almost always near a sun-reflecting river – primarily the Rhine and its tributaries – which warms the vines.
There are 13 wine regions in Germany, several of which are further north than you would expect vines to be able to flourish - but they do and this is mainly due to German Riesling - a grape variety that thrives in Germany’s cooler, drier climate.
Where are the wine regions in Germany?
Germany Wine Map (source - Wines of Germany)
German wines
Today the most popular German wine grapes are Riesling and Pinot Noir and although German sweet wines are very popular (and delicious), almost two thirds of German wine is now dry (trocken) or semi-dry (halb-trocken). This reflects not only our changing tastes, with more of a preference towards drier wines, but also the changing climate in Germany.
German wine labels are not the easiest to read or understand! Many wine producers are seeking to make it easier to understand but the complexity of the label is down to the relative complexity of German wine types, qualities and vineyard classifications.
We seek here to provide a high-level summary, with the key things to look out for, including the names of the German grape varieties and the wine types and classifications.
German wine grapes
German white wine grapes:
Riesling (pronounced ‘Reesling’, not ‘Riseling’), was said to be ‘the king of grapes’ and today it is Germany’s - and perhaps the world’s – premier white grape variety. Today, Germany is still home to more than half of the worldwide area planted with Riesling and a quarter of all German wine is made from it.
Riesling produces an amazing range of styles, from bone dry to lusciously sweet, and is distinctive for its elegance, acidity, complexity, longevity – and extraordinary versatility with food, including the spicy or sweet-and-sour flavours of Asian or Latin American cuisine. Premium vineyard sites in some of Germany’s wine regions are planted exclusively with German Riesling.
Other traditional German white wine grape varieties include Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner. These have lost ground in more recent years to the popular white Burgundy grapes, Pinot blanc (Weissburgunder) and Pinot gris (Grauburgunder).
German red wine grapes:
Germany ranks third worldwide, after France and the USA, in areas devoted to the Pinot noir grape variety (in German called Spätburgunder or ‘late’ burgundy). It is Germany’s foremost and finest red wine grape.
Other notable German red wine grapes include Dornfelder and Portugieser.
The ‘king of grapes’ - Riesling
Pinot noir - Germany’s most popular red
German wine types
There are many different types, styles and qualities of German wine to discover and enjoy! Here is a summary - hopefully this will help you when studying a German wine label!
German Quality Wines (QbA or Qualitätsweine):
Covers a varied range of everyday, often excellent wines from all German wine regions, produced from fully ripened grapes and best enjoyed when they are young and fresh.
Germany’s Premium Quality Wines (Prädikatsweine):
Made from fully ripe and/or botrytis-affected (also called ‘noble-rot) grapes, producing elegant, noble, and long lived wines. There are 6 ascending levels of ripeness and quality:
Kabinett - Fine, light wines made from ripe grapes - in general, low in alcohol
Spätlese - Literally, ‘late harvest’ - very ripe grapes producing elegant, well-rounded wines with an intense depth of flavour
Auslese - Noble wines, intense in bouquet and taste - made from overripe grapes selected in bunches
Beerenauslese (BA) - Rare and exquisite wines with the unmistakable honey-like aroma of botrytis (“noble rot”), made from overripe berries individually selected by hand
Eiswein - Unique wines, with great ageing potential, made from grapes of BA quality, harvested and pressed while frozen
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) - The crowning achievement of German viticulture - a rare and sought-after wine with a unique concentration of luscious, fruity sweetness made from individual berries shrivelled almost to raisins
Luscious, overripe Riesling grapes with botrytis (noble rot)
German sparkling wine
Sparkling wine made from grapes grown in Germany is called Sekt. It is made using the traditional Champagne grapes (Chardonnay, pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and is made by the traditional Champagne method).
Vineyard classification
Just to add a bit more complexity, another thing to look out for is the ‘VDP’ classification for Germany’s top vineyard sites. The VDP is a private association of some 200 top German wine producers whose aim is to highlight the value and origin of the best vineyard sites in Germany, to strengthen the profile of Germany’s best dry wines and to emphasise the importance of the Premium Quality Wines.
In ascending order of quality, the vineyard classifications include:
VDP.Gutswein - wines come from the estate's own vineyards and meet the strict VDP standards.
VDP.Ortswein - wines come from the best vineyards within a town and are planted with typical grape varieties.
VDP.Erste Lage - wines from first-class vineyards planted with regionally defined grape varieties, produced over a long period of time with sustainably high quality.
VDP.Grosse Lage - wines from the highest quality German vineyards. The locations are split into parcels that produce the best wines expressing terroir and with special ageing potential. (The dry wines are called VDP. Grosses Gewächs - commonly called GG)
The beautiful 'Middle Mosel'
Assmanshausen on the mighty River Rhine
Cycle tour along the Rhine
Planning your wine tour in Germany
Germany is one of the best wine producing countries in the world and certainly has a lot to offer the wine tourist!
Each region has something different to offer. You could decide to focus on one specific wine region or combine 2 or more in the same trip. Perhaps centre around certain cities or towns and contact the appropriate tourist offices for advice on touring the wine region, either by yourself or as part of a guided tour with transport included. You want to make sure you get to see the small villages, participate in local traditions, sample the local food dishes and discover lots of new wines!
Some of the wine regions in Germany are located on and around its spectacular rivers and river valleys, so including a boat trip somewhere in the mix is a must!
If you are organising the tour yourself, call the vineyard (weingut) in advance to arrange a suitable time - this is really important as although they absolutely welcome visitors, they aren’t all set up in a formal way for wine tourism and at busy times in the vineyard and cellar there may be nobody around to welcome you.
See our different German wine region website pages and read our suggested wine tour blogs for inspiration, information and advice about which regions to visit, which vineyards to visit and what to see and do in the area!
Visit Wines of Germany for ideas and help in planning your German wine tour.
German wine language
Weisswein - White wine
Rotwein - Red wine
Rose - Rosé
Spätburgunder - Pinot noir
Weissburgunder - Pinot blanc
Grauburgunder - Pinot gris/grigio
Trocken - Dry
Halb-trocken - Medium-dry
Feinherb - Medium-dry (but slightly sweeter than Halb-trocken)
Weingut - Winery/wine estate
Weinberg - Vineyard