Germany
German wine production centres around great rivers of the Rhine and Mosel where the soil tends to be predominantly slate on mineral-rich earth. This is a cool-climate area where sites have been chosen carefully on south-facing hillside slopes. In the southerly regions of Pfalz and Baden the climate causes little problem, however in the northern areas around the Mosel Valley and the Rhine, incredibly steep slopes are the only way to ensure each vine gets enough sunshine to ripen the grapes.
Riesling was first documented in the Rheingau in 1435, and remains king of the white wine grape on which Germany has based its reputation. However, there are also a wide variety of grapes which are laboratory-developed hybrids and Riesling crosses like Müller-Thurgau, Ortega and Rieslaner. Other white grape varieties include Scheurebe, Ruländer, Silvaner, Gewürztraminer and Weissburgunder. Red wines are produced from the Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, Portugieser and Trollinger grape varieties.