Rheingau Wine Region

 

Rheingau, Germany as a Wine Region


(RINE-gow) The steep, south-facing slopes overlooking the Rhine river are some of the most enviable in Germany. The region's wines are based almost completely on Riesling and all picking is done by hand. A bit further south than the Mosel, Rheingau grapes get some stronger sun, which is evident by the richer wines produced. Notable Facts Rheingau wines will be found in brown, flute-shaped bottles, and, like all of Germany, adheres to the strict quality levels based on ripeness. Floral and mineral characteristics are commonly found in these wines, with rounder fruit flavors and fuller bodies than wines from its sister in quality, the Mosel. The Rheingau also grows a bit of Pinot Noir (called spätburgunder) for the production of red wines, but these are not found often outside of Europe.

Germany as a Wine Country

Capital: Berlin
Currency: Euro




Shop our most popular wine from Germany
Shop our top rated wine from Germany White Wine Guru With some of the steepest and northernmost vineyards in the world, as well as the coolest climate, Germany produces some of the best white wines in the world, mainly Riesling. Delicate, age-worthy, intense and elegant are the typical descriptions for these wines. Note that “sweet” is not a common descriptor because the idea that most German wines are sweet is just not so. In fact, the majority of wines made in Germany are dry and more recently, the country is exporting value wines that are easy to drink, extremely food friendly and, luckily for some, containing labels that are easier to read!
The classification system of Germany is somewhat confusing. Like the rest of the old world, there's some hierarchy to it all. The categories are: Tafelwien (table wine), Landwein (land wine, similar to France's Vin de Pays) and the first “Q” level, QbA. QbA wines are easy-drinking and inexpensive – the only requirement being that the wine must come from one of Germany's thirteen official wine growing regions. The final level is QmP, which is the strictest level of German wines. The qualification consists of 6 levels, based on ripeness level at harvest, though that does not always translate into sweetness level.
Here are a few definitions to help in picking out a German QmP wine:
Kabinett
(cab-ee-NET) The driest level, Kabinett is usually light-bodied, low to medium in alcohol, and fairly dry. Great everyday wine and food-friendly.
Spatlese
(shpate-LAY-zuh) Grapes are picked a bit later than Kabinett (Spatlese means late harvest) and have a fuller, more intense body. Most wines of this level are dry although some are off-dry.

Auslese
(OWSE-lay-zuh) Wines of this level are made from select grapes harvested even later than Spatlese. The grapes are selected in bunches to make sure they are of the perfect ripeness level. One step up in both body and sweetness, Auslese wines are balanced but with a bit more sweetness – perfect with spicy Indian food.
Beerenauslese
(bare-ehn-owse-lay-zuh) The longer the words get, the higher up in sweetness level you rise. Like Auslese, the grapes are selected individually, but while Auslese is selected bunches, Beerenauslese are selected berries, and usually berries affected by botrytis, or noble rot, so you have an even more specific wine, which, in turn, increases both its sweetness level and its price.
Trockenbeerenauslese
(trok-ehn-bare-ehn-owse-lay-zuh) Okay, so Trocken means dry in German and yet this wine is the sweetest of the German levels. The "troken" comes into play as the berries picked for this wine are dried, intensifying the sugars. So the wine is made from late-harvest dried berries affected with botrytis - a combination that makes a decadent (and expensive!) bottle of wine. A treat if you are able to ever try one.



Wineries in Rheingau

Winery
August Kesseler

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Domdechant Werner'sches

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Weingut Fritz Allendorf

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Georg Breuer

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Schloss Schönborn

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

JB Cellars

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Weingut Josef Leitz

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Prinz von Hessen

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Schloss Johannisberger

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Schloss Vollrads

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Weingut Robert Weil

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Weingut Spreitzer

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Schloss Schönborn

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Solter

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Balthasar Ress

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Peter Jakob Kühn

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

August Eser

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Weingut Johannishof

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Schumann-nägler

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Franz Künstler

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach

Winery in Rheingau, Germany

Wines from Rheingau Region

Wine£
Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2008, Prinz Von Hessen

From a superb estate in the south-east of Johannisberg in the Rheingau, produced under the..
Shipping from: Available in UK

9.99
2007 Rudesheimer Kabinett, Riesling, Joseph Leitz

Electric, grapey fruit with off-dry lingering citrus and honey tones. Johannes Leitz now r..
Shipping from: Available in UK

10.99
2007 Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz, Riesling Spatlese, J Leitz

Electric, grapey fruit with off-dry lingering citrus and honey tones. Johannes Leitz now r..
Shipping from: Available in UK

14.50


Hotels in Germany

Hotel£
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