German Wine History
Around 16 BC, Trier became a massive Roman metropolis. The Romans first planted vineyards in Germany during the 1st Century AD, shortly after establishing military garrisons along the Rhine and Mosel rivers. Austere but safer than water, Roman soldiers were entitled to a daily ration of wi
German Wine Glossary
The French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal invented the practice of enriching the grape must before or during fermentation in 1801. After a string of poor vintages in the Mosel during the 1840s, a German chemist named Ludwig Gall suggested Chaptal’s method of “Verbesserung” (improving)
German Vintages
2024 saw record-breaking March temperatures in Germany, pushing budbreak two to four weeks ahead of normal. The ensuing April frosts and massive mildew pressure did significant damage in some areas, resulting in a 10% lower-than-average harvest volume. The wines generally lean towards ligh
German Grape Varieties White
Bacchus is a Silvaner x Riesling cross with Müller-Thurgau (Riesling x Madeleine Royale). It was developed by Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute in the Pfalz in 1933 and released for general cultivation in 1972. Bacchus is named after the Roman god of wine (Dionysus in Greece). It
German Grape Varieties Red
Frühburgunder or Pinot Noir Précoce (aka Pinot Madeleine) is an early ripening mutation of Pinot Noir. The German word Früh and the French word Précoce mean the same thing: early, and the variety ripens around two weeks before Pinot Noir. Its exact place of origin is unknown; however, judg
Franken: Silvaner's Heimatland
Soils: Bundtsandstein (colored sandstone), Muschelkalk (shell-limestone), Keuper (marl-gypsum)
Franken Producers
Hans Wirshing, VDP.Weingut
Franken: Silvaner's Heimatland →
Baden Producers
Vines have been cultivated at Burg Ravensburg in the village of Sulzfeld since 1251 making it one of the oldest vineyards in the world. The Ravensburg is the former ancestral seat of the baron Göler von Ravensburg and is one of the most important surviving castles in the Kraichgau. The 770
Baden: Greetings from the Kraichgau
"Greetings from the Kraichgau," wrote Claus Burmeister, the general manager and winemaker of two fine Baden estates: Burg Ravensburg and Heitlinger. His salutation, specifying the Kraichgau, one of Baden's nine Bereiche (districts), made me smile. Bereiche are administrative divisions of G
Ahr Producers
Werner Näkel was among the first of a handful of Winzer to make their way to Burgundy in the early 1980s, bringing home a very different vision for Ahr Pinot Noir than previous generations. Werner befriended Henri Jayer of Vosne-Romanée, who instilled in him a philosophy of "meticulous vin
