German Wine Region

 

German wine is considered among the best in the world, with Germany being home to some of the finest wines such as Riesling and Pinot Noir. This wine comprises of the crisp to dry white wines, made from the famous Riesling grapes, which are aromatic and well balanced sweet wines. These elegant and fruity wines are prized for their aroma and flavor. Though, predominantly a white wine producing country, some fine red wines such as Pinot Noir are part of the immensely popular wines of this region.

 

 

History of Germany Wine

This wine has its roots to the ancient Roman times, with evidence of the oldest vineyards along Rhine River, base camp for the Roman army. Though the Roman Emperor Probus was known to have encouraged and the one to establish viticulture in Germany; it is not till 370 BC that the wine making really established itself. Though world over the cheap semi-sweet to sweet wines such as Liebfraumilch are popular, certain outstanding varieties that range from dry, semi-sweet and sweet white wines, rosé wines, red wines and even sparkling wines such as Sekt are part of the wine.

 

 

Regions Producing the Wine

German wine has its origins along the Rhine River, which is considered the oldest city of Germany. In fact, 60% of the country’s wine production is a result of the vineyards growing along this region. There are records dating back to the early 14th to 15th century showing that Riesling was grown along Rheingau, River Constance being the place where Pinot Noir originates, and Affenthal in Baden. However, today there are 13 well defined regions that are known to produce some of the best wine varieties of this region. Ahr, Baden Franconia, Hessische Bergstrasse, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Palatinate, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, Saxony, and Wurttemburg are the main places that produce the wine.

 

 

Preparation of the Wine

The wine making is a very big industry in the country. Wine making in this country is similar to that of other countries’ wineries; however, chaptalization is kept till the QbA level and if chaptalized, all wines are fermented dry. An unfermented grape juice called Sussreserve is added to the wines in order to balance them, which is characteristic of German wine.

 

 

Food Pairing of Germany Wine

This region’s wine that comprises of white wines and rose wines, taste wonderful with light foods, because of their crisp, light and fragrant characteristics and red wines go well with robust foods because of the wines’ richness. Certain cuisines such as Thai, Mexican, Chinese (Szechuan-Hunan}, Tex-Mex, Cajun and Indian, pair very well with this region’s wine.

 

Wine Trivia

German wine comprises of both white and red varieties and these wines come from about 135 varieties of grape, with 100 types producing white wines and the remaining 35 types producing red wines.