At this point, most wine guides refer the reader to a specialty guide on the German districts, and subdistricts, and villages and vineyards, or make disparaging comments on the complexities of mastering German wines. Personally, I don't believe it is necessary to commit every square foot of German soil to memory in order to understand and enjoy German wine. It is true that vineyards located side-by-side can produce wine of vastly different quality, but if you're not the sort to let an occasional mediocre selection ruin a whole evening, you can master the basics, and experiment at your leisure. Even if you prefer not to take such risks, there's no edict that says you have to learn all the districts and such in equal detail. Research the one or two that really interest you, and leave the rest to the cellarmaster at Antoines.Enough philosophy, on with the descriptions——
German wines could be a confusing study were it not for the uniform label format most German winemakers follow. They first list the village of origin, followed by the vinyard, type of grape, and QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat) classification. This last is a category defined by the government regulating the ripeness of grape, sugar content and alcohol level.
District names are often listed as well, but beware if only the district is listed, and no town or vineyard name is given. The bottle's contents is probably a hodgepodge of the districts products (at least 51%) and other areas' as well (up to 49%).
If only a vineyard is listed, without mention of district or town it designates a vineyard better known that it's town.
By learning the 5 QmP classifications you can gain an excellent idea of what to expect in terms of dryness and body. The QmP categories are:
Kabinett -No added sugar, all sweetness is derived from the natural sugar content of the grape. A fine aperitif, but like Spätlese, Kabinett is also pleasant with bread and cheese.
Spätlese -light, medium dry wines from ripe grapes. The classic serving suggestion is with bread and cheese.
Auslese -rich, ripe but not always sweet wine made from riper grapes. Quality depends a great deal on the vinyard. The better ones make nice companions to poultry. The others are best reserved for picnic spreads of cold cuts and other informal occasions.
Beerenauslese -smokey, rich, honey-sweet wines. Made from very ripe grapes, they are both grapey and acidic. A long-lasting dessert wine, but best drunk alone or with a light assortment of fruit.
Trockenbeerenauslese -exquisite, very rich, very sweet after dinner wine made from over-ripe grapes. Consequently somewhat raisin flavored. Some folks drink Trockenbeerenauslese with dessert. Personally I think they are best savored alone.
The two main German wine-making districts border the two principal rivers, the Rhine and the Mosel. The Rhine is blessed with the regions of Rheingau, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz or Palatinate. The Mosel is in addition to the produce of its own fruitful rivervalleys, is graced with the tributaries of Saar and Ruwer.
These will be examined on the following cards. Other German regions to explore on your own are the area following the Nahe River and Franconia (or Franken).
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