The 100,000ha of German vineyards produce

some of the world’s greatest white wines from

the Riesling grape.

The 100,000ha of German vineyards produce some of the world’s greatest white wines from the Riesling grape. With a run of excellent vintages, top estate wines are at last fashionable and Riesling is finally getting the acknowledgment it deserves. Its touch of sweetness is underpinned by a racy acidity and a fresh purity of the fruit.

Germany is the seventh largest wine producer in the world. Its vineyards are centered around the major rivers, the Rhine and the Mosel as well as their tributaries. The continental climate with hot summers, cold winters and long, warm autumns is perfect for late-harvest wines. The finest wines are produced on steep, often terraced, south-facing vineyards close to rivers. The maintenance and the harvesting of the vines are often done by hand.

White grapes make up 85% of plantings, but reds are increasing. Riesling has a knack of maintaining its varietal character while reflecting the terroir of its site, so while all German Rieslings have that balance of nerve-tingling pure fruit and refreshing acidity, there are definite regional differences.

The steep slatey slopes of the Mosel Valley produce the lightest, most minerally Rieslings, with firm, steely examples coming from its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer. The south-facing slopes of the Rheingau are drier and sunnier, so the wines are fuller. The underrated Nahe lies in between the Mosel and Rheingau both stylistically and geographically, while the large Rheinhessen region can produce firm, full and racy Rieslings.

The Pfalz region further south is warmer, so the wines are richer. Traditional wines have a degree of sweetness but there has been a move to dry and medium dry styles (Trocken and Halbtrocken), making up 40% of production.