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Germany
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The Prädikat and VDP ladders, seven regions, Riesling, Spätburgunder, Silvaner and a verified Mosel estate.
All levels112 min17 stepsAbout Germany: Riesling, Slate and Cool-Climate Wine
Germany: Riesling, Slate and Cool-Climate Wine
Start with the country: 13 defined regions and Riesling as the lead variety.
German Prädikatswein Classification
Next, the ripeness ladder from Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese that appears on many German labels.
Then the VDP's own four-tier vineyard pyramid, which ranks sites rather than ripeness.
Begin the regions on the steep slate slopes of the Mosel and its Saar and Ruwer tributaries.
Go deeper: Mosel, 14 steps, 91 min
Go deeper into the Mosel: Saar and Ruwer, the Middle Mosel sites, slate and Riesling.
Start Mosel DoneMove to the Rheingau, where the Rhine flows east to west and the vineyards face south.
Go deeper: Rheingau, 13 steps, 85 min
Go deeper into the Rheingau, site by site from Assmannshausen to Hochheim.
Start Rheingau DoneCompare the Mosel and the Rheingau on climate, soil, grapes, wine style and classification.
South to the Pfalz, one of Germany's driest, warmest wine regions, where Riesling is the undisputed number one grape.
Cross the Rhine to Rheinhessen, Germany's largest region by area.
West to the Nahe and its wide range of soils.
Far south to Baden, the warmest region, where Pinot varieties lead.
Finish the regions in Franken, Bavaria's wine region, with Silvaner and the Bocksbeutel bottle.
Now the grapes, starting with Riesling and its range from dry to sweet.
Pinot Noir, known in Germany as Spätburgunder and the country's leading red grape.
Back to Franken for Silvaner on Muschelkalk limestone.
Close with a producer: a Riesling estate in the Middle Mosel with VDP Grosse Lage sites.
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