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Germany Good German wines are so full of character, they are best enjoyed alone rather than with food. Their secret is the balance of sugar against acidity, and while they usually exhibit less body and lower alcohol, the nuances of flavor are allowed to be brilliantly distinct with full up-front bouquet.
Over 80% of German vineyards are planted with white grapes. German wine laws, with respect to growing grapes and labeling wines, seem almost to deliberately confuse, and explanations are beyond the scope of this web site. However, wines are divided into several levels of quality based on ripeness and sugar levels. Kabinett is the entry level of the “QmP” wines. Germany’s vineyards lie along the River Rhine and its tributaries and thickest in the Rheinland-Pfälz area near the French border.
| Primary Grapes: |
Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Gewürztraminer |
| Secondary Grapes: |
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Portugieser, Trollinger |
| Production: |
320 million gallons |
Primary Wine
Region(s): |
Mosel-Saar-Ruwar, Nahe, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Pfalz |
| Premium Labels: |
Saar: Egon Müller, Trier Cathedral, Ayler Cupp, Herrenberg
Ruwer: Waldrach, Kasel, Karthäuserhofberg
Middle Mosel (Piesport): Bruderschaft, Felsenkopf, Leiterchen, Michelsberg
Middle Mosel (Bernkastel): Doctor, Lieser, Prüm, Kirchberg, Würzgarten, Schwarze Katz
Nahe: Kahlenberg, Krötenpfuhl, Kupfergrube, Brückes, Kruger-Rumpf, Hermannshöhle
Rheingau (Rüdesheim): Schloss Vollrads, Mumm, Steinberger, Schloss Johannisberger, Assmanhäuser
Rheingau (Eltville): Schloss Johannisberg, Hasensprung, Kloster Eberbach, Mannberg, Erbacher Siegelsberg, Steinmorgen
Pfalz: Palatinate, Bürklin Wolf, von Bassermann-Jordan, von Buhl, Jesuitengarten |
| Best Values: |
Stub, Dr. Thanisch Bernkasteler, Jakob Reidel, Gernot Gysler, Minges, Merkelbach, Kloster Eberbach |
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