Guide to German Grape Varietals

In Germany, the Spätburgunder is to red wine what the Riesling is to white wine: the cream of the crop. In fact, Germany is the world's third largest producer of Pinot Noir. The German name for the grape is Spätburgunder - late (spät) ripening pinot (burgunder).

Sensitive to climate and soil, it needs warmth (but not intense heat) to thrive and does well in chalky soils. As the name implies, it ripens late (spät) and it was brought to Germany from Burgundy. Called Pinot Noir in France, this grape produces elegant, velvety wines with a distinctive bouquet reminiscent of bitter almonds or blackberries. The traditional style of German Spätburgunder is lighter in colour, body and tannic acidity than its counterparts from warmer climates. Often the wines take on more depth and complexity (and a light vanilla tone) if they are aged in small (225-liter) oak barriques.

Eleven percent (11,800 ha in 2019) of Germany's vineyard area is covered by Spätburgunder grapes.

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This ancient variety, which is known as Pinot Blanc in France, grows in fertile or chalky soil and ripens quite late. It is harvested later than Müller-Thurgau but earlier than Riesling. It thrives excellently everywhere where it is too hot for Riesling.

Weißburgunder wines have a less pronounced, relatively neutral bouquet, yet more acidity than the Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) from which the grape mutated. Most wines made from Weißburgunder are known for harmonizing perfectly with many types of food as it can be lightfooted, fresh and with well-integrated acidity. It smells and tastes of citrus fruit, pears, melons, green nuts. It is well suited for making sparkling wine or maturing in barrique barrels and reaches impressive qualities in top locations.

In 2018, 5.4% of the German vineyard area is planted with Weißburgunder, predominantly in Baden, Rheinhessen and Pfalz.

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Among new varieties, the Dornfelder shows great promise.

A prolific, relatively early ripener, it produces wine far deeper in colour than other German red wines. In fact, it was initially bred to serve as a blending wine to improve the colour of pale reds. Today it is prized on its own as a fragrant, full-bodied, complex wine with a fairly tannic acidity.
The Dornfelder wines fermented and/or aged in oak casks (including Barriques), in particular, fetch high prices.

From 124 ha in 1979, the vineyard area has expanded to 7,500 ha in 2019, moving Dornfelder to second place, after Spätburgunder (11,800 ha in 2019), among red wine grapes grown in Germany. In the Pfalz and Rheinhessen most of Germany's Dornfelder grapes are cultivated.

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Silvaner comes from a natural cross between Traminer and Österreichisch Weiss (literally Austrian white) and is one of the oldest grape varieties.

Silvaner ripens about two weeks earlier than Riesling, likes average exposure to sunshine and needs moist soil. It yields a rather full-bodied, neutral wine with a mild acidity, and is generally best enjoyed while it is young. This variety can express its terroir almost as well as Riesling. The aromas often resemble flowers and plants, or melons, yellow plums and apples. With its delicate, earthy and fruity tones and easily digestible acid, Silvaner makes an excellent food match.

It was once the most important grape in Germany.  However more recently (2018), it made up only 4.6% of the country's plantings. Franken today has the highest percentage of Silvaner (24.5%), but the biggest growing area of Silvaner in the world is located in Rheinhessen with 2,162 ha.

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The purity of fruit aroma combined with a unique fruit acidity make the Riesling into one of the greatest grape varieties in the world, which has been experiencing a true renaissance internationally in recent years. At the beginning of the 19th century German Riesling wines were among the most expensive in the world!

One can confidently speak of Germany as the home of the Riesling. With 24,049 ha cultivated in 2019, it covers nearly a quarter of all German vineyards. In an international comparison, German producers have a share of around 40% of global Riesling cultivation. The Pfalz and the Mosel are the two largest Riesling-growing regions in the world. The river valleys, with their heat-storing capacity are especially well suited to this variety.

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Although the name literally means "black Riesling," this variety is not related to Riesling at all. In fact, it is a mutation of Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) that ripens quite early.

The wines are deep in colour, but mostly not as complex as the wines made from Spätburgunder grapes. Frequently, the Schwarzriesling is referred to by its synonym, "Müllerrebe", and in France it is known as Pinot Meunier, where it is part of many champagne cuvées.

Cabernet Sauvignon belongs to the category of very late-ripening varieties. Its berries contain an especially large amount of pips, anthocyanins and tannins, which produce deeply-coloured wines ideally suited to ageing in barrique (225-litre) casks, as well as long-term cellaring.

Cabernet Sauvignon wines have great character and a typical flavour of blackcurrants (Cassis) and an aroma of green bell pepper. A special characteristic of the variety is that under the most diverse climate and soil conditions the aroma and taste of the wine remain so unmistakably Cabernet. When paired with food, Cabernet Sauvignon is the perfect match for roast beef or lamb with dark sauces.

In Germany, total plantings amount to 424 ha (2019), approx. half of which are in the Pfalz, with a further 106 ha in Rheinhessen. 

The Regent variety is one of the few successful hybrid varieties that is predicted to have a rosy future. Regent has many advantages - early ripening, an above average must weight, a high resistance to winter frosts and a good resistance to downy mildew, oidium and botrytis therefore reducing the need for chemical plant protection.

Wines from the Regent grape variety are full-bodied, almost Mediterranean, with a tastable tannin structure and aromas of cherries or currants, reminiscent of other renowned red wine varieties. Must weights surpass even those of Pinot Noir and the wines are correspondingly rich.

Today (2018) there are 1,800 hectares, almost 2% of the German vineyard area, mainly in Rheinhessen, the Palatinate, Baden and Franconia.