Exploring German Wines

Germany is one of the most northerly wine-growing countries in the world.

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The growing season is long, with a balance of rainfall and sunshine. It enables grapes to ripen slowly, and thus maintain their fruity acidity while developing natural sugars and absorbing minerals from the soil. The succession of warm days and cool nights in autumn fosters the development of incomparably rich, ripe aromas. “Cool climate” wines are generally lower in alcohol, yet more aromatic and fruitier perfect prerequisites for a good food companion.

The innovative wines and sophisticated packages emanating from Germany today please both the palate and the eye. There are German wines for every taste and every occasion - a diversity praised by renowned chefs and appreciated by wine novices and connoisseurs alike. A respect for 2,000 years of viticultural tradition, combined with quality oriented, environmentally friendly vineyard practices and state-of-the-art cellar technology, put German vintners in the vanguard of contemporary winemakers. Most of Germany’s vineyards are planted on slopes or steep hills topped by protective forests that check the wind, and almost always near a sun-reflecting river - primarily the Rhine and its tributaries - which helps temper the climate.

Wine Regions Ahr

Renowned for its stunning red wines, the Ahr is one of Europe’s northernmost wine regions and one of the smallest in Germany. Between Altenahr and Bad Neuenahr vines perch on terraced cliffs of volcanic slate add a charm and beauty to this region and produce distinctive wines that won’t be mistaken for any other from Germany. Today, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the predominant grape variety in the Ahr; four out of five bottles of Ahr wine are made from it, producing luscious velvety or full bodied fiery red wines. The region also has plantings of Dornfelder, Portugieser and small pockets of Riesling and Müller-Thurgau.