German Wine - Deutscher Wein

German white wine (= Weisswein ), like Deutscher Riesling, always had a great reputation worlwide. But Germany offers a wide variety of wines, and today there is even a trend to red wine (= Rotwein ). The year 2007 was a record year for wine exports.

Due to climatic conditions, wine in Germany is cultivated mainly in regions of the West and Southwest. Many of these regions are along the river Rhine (= Rhein ). In detail:
1. Württemberg: Trollinger, Lemberger, Riesling
2. Franken: Silvaner, Mueller-Thurgau, Bocksbeutel
3. Baden: Burgunder, Spaet-Burgunder
4. Pfalz: Mueller-Thurgau, Riesling
5. Hessische Bergstrasse: Riesling
6. Rheingau: Riesling
7. Nahe: Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Kerner, Scheurebe, Grauburgunder
8. Mittelrhein: Riesling
9. Mosel: Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Elbling
10. Ahr: Spaetburgunder
11. Saale-Unstrut: Mueller-Thurgau
12. Sachsen: Mueller-Thurgau, Riesling
13. Last but not least: Rheinhessen - the largest wine region in Germany, cultivating
Silvaner, Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Burgunder

Especially the regions along the rivers Rhine and Main with their lovely vineyards, castles and half timbered houses stand for the "romantic" Germany.

When buying german wine, a look at the label will give informations about the quality of the wine. There are 3 categories:

1. Tafelwein (lowest quality)
2. Landwein
3. Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (Q.b.A)

Qualitätswein is the highest quality, and there must be a certification number on the label. Furthermore, Qualitätswein can be defined by additional categories, such as
3.1. Kabinett
3.2. Spätlese
3.3. Auslese
3.4. Spät-Auslese
3.5. Trockenbeerenauslese
3.6. Eiswein