German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions (Anbaugebiete) for quality wine are situated. Germany has about 103,000 hectares of vineyard, which is around one tenth of the vineyard surface in Spain, France or Italy. The total wine production is usually around 10 million hectoliters annually, corresponding to 1.3 billion bottles, which places Germany as the eighth-largest wine-producing country in the world. White wine accounts for almost two thirds of the total production.
The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented by the German Wine Law of 1971. Nearly all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen, and the produce from any vineyard can be used to make German wine at any quality level, as long as the must weight of the grapes reaches the designated minimum level. As the current German system does not classify vineyards by quality, the measure of wine ’quality’ is the ripeness of the grapes alone.
Auslese is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classification. The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn, and have to be hand-picked. Generally Auslese wine can be made in only the best harvest years that have been sufficiently warm. A small proportion of the grapes may be affected by noble rot in some regions although this never dominates the character of the wine. Rheingau winemaker Schloss Johannisberg is generally credited with discovering Auslese wine in 1787.
Assmannshausen is, since its incorporation in 1977, a quarter of Rüdesheim am Rhein in the Rheingau, located on the Rhine in the state of Hesse, Germany. The village has a lithium spring, spa and a Kurhaus, and is famed for its red wine (Assmannshäuser) made from Pinot noir, which resembles red Burgundy wine. The Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach are running their VDP red wine estate in the village.
Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Eltville in the Rheingau, Germany. On account of its Romanesque and early Gothic buildings it is considered one of the most significant architectural heritage sites in Hesse.
Schloss Johannisberg is a castle and winery in the village of Johannisberg to the west of Wiesbaden, Hesse, in the Rheingau wine-growing region of Germany. It has been making wine for over 900 years. The winery is most noted for its claim to have "discovered" late harvest wine. The palace is a venue of the Rheingau Musik Festival, made available by co-founder Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg.
Rheingau is one of 13 designated German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) producing quality wines . It was named after the traditional region of Rheingau, the wine region is situated in the state of Hesse, where it constitutes part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district. Although, making up only 3 percent of the total German vineyard area, Rheingau has been the source of many historically important innovations in German wine making, and contains many wine producers of international reputation, such as Schloss Johannisberg. Rheingau, with 3,125 hectares of vineyards in 2016, also boasts a higher proportion of Riesling (77.7%) than any other German wine-growing region, with Spätburgunder making up most of the rest (12.2%), followed by Müller-Thurgau.
A number of German wine auctions are held each year, where the premier German wine producers auction off some of the best young wines, as well as some older wines. Most auctions are arranged by the regional associations of Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). These auctions differ from wine auctions on the second-hand market held by auction houses, where collectible wines are sold by private or corporate owners, since it is "first hand" wines that are sold.
Nahe is a region (Anbaugebiet) for quality wine in Germany, along the River Nahe in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. On the region's 4,155 hectares of vineyards in 2008, white wine grapes dominate with 75% and Riesling is the most common variety with 27.2%. A characteristic of the Nahe region is that the soils are very varied owing to the region's volcanic origins.
Schloss Vollrads is a castle and a wine estate in the Rheingau wine-growing region in Germany. It has been making wine for over 800 years.
St. Antony is a wine estate in the Rheinhessen wine-growing region in Germany, that has been making wine since the end of the First World War.
Steinberg is a 32.4 hectares wall-enclosed vineyard near Hattenheim in the Rheingau. It is the largest wall-enclosed vineyard in Germany.
Egon Müller IV, is a German winemaker and owner of the wine producer Weingut Egon Müller, Scharzhof, located just outside Wiltingen.
Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm is a German wine grower and producer based in Bernkastel-Wehlen, in the wine-growing region of Mosel, Germany.
Weingut Fritz Haag is a German wine grower and producer based in Brauneberg, in the wine-growing region of Mosel, Germany.
Weingut Dr. Heinrich Nägler is a German wine grower and producer based in Rüdesheim am Rhein, in the wine-growing region of Rheingau, Germany.
Willi Schaefer is a German wine grower and producer based in Graach, in the wine-growing region of Mosel, Germany.
Weingut Wittmann is a German wine grower and producer based Westhofen, in the Wonnegau district of the wine-growing region of Rheinhessen, Germany. Weingut Wittmann is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 1998.
Weingut Brüder Dr. Becker is a German wine grower and craft producer based in Ludwigshöhe, in the Rheinhessen wine region, Germany. Weingut Brüder Dr. Becker is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 1971.
Weingut Battenfeld Spanier is a German wine grower and producer based in Hohen-Sülzen, in the Wonnegau district of the wine-growing region of Rheinhessen, Germany. Weingut Battenfeld Spanier is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 1998.
