Germany's wine industry is most famous for world class Riesling produced aLong the Rhein and its tributary the Mosel. There is wide agreement that the white wines from the best sites and the most reputable producers are some of the greatest in the world.
However the country's winemakers are proving convincingly that they can make great wine from other varieties, helped in Part by Climate change. For example, fine German Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is now emerging from various regions, particularly Baden, Pfalz and even the tiny Ahr Valley.
As of 2017 the country boasted around 102,000 hectares (252,000 acres) of Vineyards. This placed Germany 14th in the world.
For more information regarding the various German wine regions, please refer to the menu on the left side of this page.
Key German grape varieties
White grape varieties account for around 66 percent of vineyard area.
Unsurprisingly, Riesling leads the way with 23 percent of the total. Its area has grown slightly since 1995.
That year, Müller-Thurgau just pipped Riesling as the most planted variety. However surface area has almost halved and in 2017 it accounted for 12 percent of vineyards - much declined but still at that point Germany's number two variety by area.
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