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An Introduction to German Wines Posted by on Jun 16, 2020 in Culture, Language

I love having a glass of wine with my dinner in the evening, and that is exactly what inspired me to write this post. Germany has a lot of great wines to offer and produces around 8000 to 9000 hectoliters a year.

Popular German Wines

Two thirds of Germany’s wines produced are indeed white wine, which is why a lot of the wine that I mention in this post is white!

Riesling

Spätburgunder (also known as Pinot Noir)

Grauburgunder (also known as Pinot Gris)

Weißburgunder (also known as Pinot Blanc)

Kerner

Elbling

Gewürztraminer (originates from Alsace in France, however as it is by the border by France and Germany it is produced in Germany too)

Silvaner

Müller-Thurgau

Dornfelder (red wine)

Sekt (sparkling wine

Four Top Wine Regions in Germany

Rheinheissen

Rheinheissen produces the most wine in Germany and has the oldest documented vineyard dating back to the Romans. The most typical Rebsorten (grape varieties) that you will find there are Riesling, Dornfelder and Burgunder.

Pfalz

This is the second biggest producer in Germany with very hot and dry weather. They also produce a large amount of Riesling, along with Muller-Thürgau, but they are most known for their Weinschorle (wine with sparkling water).

Mosel

Located by the river Mosel, the vineyards slope steeply downwards, making them the steepest vineyards in the world. This also means that the grapes must be picked by hand. Riesling is of course produced here, but also Müller-Thurgau and Elbling. Red wine production (Spät Burgunder) has also increased here over the years. Mosel is located in northern Germany, which means their wine is lighter and has a lower alcohol percentage than other wine regions.

Sachsen

Although Sachsen is the smallest wine region in Germany, their yearly Weinfeste (wine festivals) are not to be missed. Riesling, Goldriesling, Spätburgunder and Traminer are some of the many varieties that they have to offer.

How to Describe Wine in German

Trocken                             dry

Halbtrocken                   half dry

Lieblich                            sweet

Blumig                             floral

Fruchtig                           fruity

Geschmeidig                  smooth

die Farbe                          the colour

das Aroma                       the aroma

der Geruch                      the smell

der Geschmack             the taste

Other Vocabulary

der Wein                          the wine

der Weißwein                the white wine

der Ro­sé­wein                 the ro­sé ­wine

der Rotwein                    the red wine

das Weinglas                 the wine glass

die Rebsorte                  the grape variety

der Weinberg                 the vineyard

Die Weinbaugebiete    the wine regions

die Weinverkostung     the wine tasting

das Weinfest                   the wine festival

 

Are you also a wine lover? If so let me know what kind of wine you like and if it happens to be German wine too in the comments below!

 

Thank you for reading,

Larissa

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About the Author: Larissa

Hello I'm Larissa. I live in Germany and I am half German and half English. I love sharing my passion for Germany with you through my posts! Apart from writing posts I teach fitness classes in Munich.


Comments:

  1. Stuart King:

    Dear Larissa,
    Thank you for your excellent article about German wines. I have always loved many German wines but it is often difficult to get good ones, for example, the wines from Franconia in England. There are also excellent red wines in Germany which are almost unknown here. As I have always had a love of both Germany and France, I must say a good Gewuerztraminer takes some beating. OK, it is a French wine but it has a strong German accent.

    • Larissa:

      @Stuart King Hi Stuart,

      I’m so glad you enjoyed my post, there really are so many wines to try aren’t there.
      Gewürztraminer is also my Mum’s favourite wine!

      Larissa

  2. Allan Mahnke:

    Great post! To your list I would add Trockenbeeren Auslese or Eiswein, then, while it’s technically Austrian, Grüner Veltliner. We also love many of the dry Rieslings.

  3. Michael Mahar:

    Wonderful survey of German wines! My favorite is the dry or off dry kabinetts. And, of course, the truly fabelhaft Eiswein. Danke.

    • Larissa:

      @Michael Mahar Thanks Michael!!

      I have to admit, I don’t think I have tried Eiswein before, I’ll have to try it out!

      Larissa

  4. Allan Mahnke:

    Great post!
    I would add Trockenbeeren Auslese or Eiswein. We are fans of the dry Rieslings. There are many who produce lovely wines.
    And thought it is technically Austrian, Grüner Veltliner.

    • Larissa:

      @Allan Mahnke Thanks Allan!

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, I’m also a fan of Grüner Veltliner.

      Larissa