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About German Wine-- Table of
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Map: Wine Regions
Principal Grape Varietals
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The Wine-Growing Regions
of Germany
Ahr:
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The 1,300 acre home of red wine in
Germany. In spite of its northerly location, 80% of the
grapes grown in the Ahr are the red varieties, Spätburgunder,
Portugieser and Dornfelder
so red and rosé (Weissherbst) wines predominate. Another
region where the locals (Bonn is only 20 km away) consume
the majority of each harvest.
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Baden:
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Germany's most southerly region, 41,000
acres in size, producing wines with a reputation for
intensity and lower acidity than elsewhere in Germany.
Includes the famous Kaiserstuhl, an extinct volcano which
rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape. Whites
include Ruländer, (too
much) Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer
and Riesling which is
at its best around Ortenau. Red varieties are dominated
by Spätburgunder
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Franken:
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The region famous for the Bocksbeutel
(a flask shaped bottle which is very inconvenient to
stack in a cellar) and the best Silvaner
grown in Germany. 15,000 acres are under vine in
vineyards which follow the Main river from Aschaffenburg
eastwards. Würzburg is the center of the region (both
physically and spiritually) and is the home of the Stein
vineyard,
- Würzburg, Castell, Randersack,
Iphofen
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Hessische
Bergstrasse:  |
One of the smallest (1,000 acres) of
the German wine growing areas on the opposite (eastern)
side of the Rhine from the Rheinhessen. Surprising Rieslings
are worth looking out for but difficult to find as the
majority are consumed locally.
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Mittelrhein:
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Racy Rieslings
as well as Müller-Thurgau
and Kerner grown on
forbiddingly steep slopes along the Rhine as it flows
from near Bingen to Koblenz to Bonn. The small (1,700
acre) region has shrunk in size by some 30% since the
seventies as some of the more impassable sites have been
abandoned. A region where the Riesling does extremely
well because of the slate soil to make wines which have
only recently begun to appear in the USA.
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Mosel-Saar-Ruwer:
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32,000 acres where the Riesling
is king adorn the Mosel and its tributaries between
Luxembourg and Koblenz. There are four distinct regions:
the Lower Mosel, Middle (Mittel) Mosel, Saar and Ruwer.
The variation in microclimates makes it almost certain
that superb wine will be produced somewhere within the
region in any given year. For example, the Saar and Ruwer
are higher and hence a little cooler but excell it the
'hot' vintages. The combination of slate and steep
vineyards produce vibrant and elegant wines with a fine
acidity.
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Nahe:
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A 12,000 acre region just to the east
of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer where the
wines can range from the racy elegance of the Mosel to
the robustness of the Rheinhessen.
White varieties include Riesling,
Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau
Some spectacular landscapes are created by bizarre cliffs
which rise abruptly out the rolling hills in the Nahe and
Alsenz river valleys. The 180 meter high Rotenfels is the
biggest rock face north of the Alps and shelters a narrow
terraced vineyard at its base, one of the most famous in
the region.
- Schloss Böckelheim, Bad Kreuznach
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Rheinhessen:
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Enormous 65,000 acre region (the
largest wine growing region in Germany) producing often
underrated wines especially from Riesling.
Also Müller-Thurgau and Sylvaner.
The best vineyards are those close to the Rhine where the
soil imparts more complexity and interest to the wines.
The region is home the original Liebfraulich and, more
recently, to the (in)famous dry Silvaner marketed under
the 'Rheinhessen-Silvaner' label.
- Nierstein, Nackenheim, Oppenheim
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Rheingau:
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7,700 acres along the northern side of
the Rhine between Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim where the Riesling
produces classic and substantial wines. The home of many
famous and historical estates such as Schloss Vollrads
and Schloss Johannisberg. Also, the home of Hock (derived
from Hochenheim) which is the traditional English term
for wines from the Rhine. A little Spätburgunder
is grown near Ammannshausen. The region is the home of
the German Wine Academy in Geisenheim.
- Hatteneim, Geisenheim, Eltville,
Kiedrich, Hallgarten, Oestrich, Hochenheim
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Pfalz:
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Formerly known as the Rheinpfalz, this
region has 59,000 acres under vines. Rich wines reflect
the warm climate of the south of Germany. The region,
home of Saumagen, (both the dish and vineyard) extends
from Kirchheim-Bolanden south to the Alsatian border. The
northern half, the Mittelhardt is the home of the most
famous vineyards of the Pfalz. However, the southern
part, the Südliche Weinstrasse has experienced a rebirth
over the past thirty years. The most southerly vineyard (Schweigener
Sonnenberg) is actually in France! The second largest Riesling
area after Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Also
Scheurebe, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner,
Kerner and Gewürztraminer
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- Forst, Deidesheim, Ungstein, Bad Dürkheim,
Wachenheim
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Sachsen:
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The smallest (750 acre) region is in
the former East Germany along the Elbe river around
Meissen and Dresden. Wines grown on small terraced
vineyards are rapidly improving. Important varieties
include Müller-Thurgau, Weissburgunder
and Traminer which has an avid local following. |
Saale-Unstrut:
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Slightly larger than Sachsen at 1,000
acres, this region is west of Leipzig in the former East
Germany. Vineyards line the Saale and Unstrut rivers
around Freyburg and Naumburg. The wines are improving
following the addition of six private wineries since
reunification. Sometimes the wines are tainted with a
strange earthy acidity which is not to everybody's taste.
Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner
are the most widely planted varieties. |
Württemberg:
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Large area (27,000 acres) producing
both red Trollinger, Lemberger,
Spätburgunder, and Portugieser,
and white wines Riesling,
Müller-Thurgau, Kerner
and Silvaner which are
difficult to find outside Germany or indeed Württemberg
itself. Most of the vineyards lie along the Neckar rivers
and extend form the Tauber river valley to south of
Stuttgart. Vineyards extended over almost four times the
current area in the 16th century and even in the 19th
century nearly 50,000 acres were under vine.
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