Some people might be surprised, but Germany can look back on a rich wine culture — it has been producing wine for more than 1000 years. Already the Celts enjoyed the wine, which they produced, before the Romans brought in new grape varieties and cultivated winemaking, as they did in many other countries. The famous “Riesling” appeared later and in the 19th century, German Riesling and produced from the Rheingau area were among the most expensive wines in the world.
In Germany, the classification of wines is far more complicated than in France or Italy. In France, the best wines are labeled with the AOC label, in Italy — DOC, and in Germany, the wines with the highest quality are labeled “Qualitatswein” or “Qualitätswein mit Prädikat”. There are also definitions like “Eiswein”, “Spatlese” or “Auslese” — they do not indicate quality, but ripeness and concentration of sugar in grapes.
In Germany, due to the cold climate, the ripening process is slower. Farmers harvest late and wait until the last to get the grapes as rich as possible. From such grapes excellent fruity white wines or wines with a sweet flavor are produced.
Besides the Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau (Rivaner) is very popular in Germany. Amongst the red wines, common grape varieties are Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, Portugieser and Trollinger.
Try out German wines with our “Rivaner”, “Gewurztraminer” or “Riesling”.