Information About German Wines Is At The End Of This Page.

Germany first began to grow wine when the Romans brought vines up in the 100 BC years. Wines here are mostly created from grape varietals that are now used in the rest of the world. You can get a Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Silvaner, and so on from many countries, even though the use of these grapes originated in Germany. Even ice wines are now made in Ontario!

There are many wines that are unique to this lovely country. You won't find a German Liebfrauenmilch in Washington State! Note that Liebfrauenmilch is a type of Quälitatswein - late harvest sweet wine. Other Quälitatsweins include Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein, and Trockenbeerenauslese.

Here are some German wine terms, from my own notes and the German Wine Information Bureau:

• Rotwein: any red wine.
• Weissherbst: a rosé wine made from only one grape variety and of at least QbA quality.
• Rotling: a mixture of white and red grapes or their mash prior to fermentation, i.e. they are fermented together; the wine color is similar to a rosé.
• Schillerwein: a Rotling from Württemberg of at least QbA quality.
• Badisch Rotgold: a Rotling from Baden made from the grape varieties Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and of at least QbA quality.
• Perlwein: wines from red or white grapes with natural or impregnated carbon dioxide (1-2.5 atm.) in either the table wine or quality wine categories.