Germany is most famous for its Rieslings, dry and sweet, but did you know that Germany also produces some world-class Pinot Noirs? The grape is the country’s most planted red variety, and Germany is the world’s third-largest producer of Pinot Noir.
If you look at the map, almost all of Germany’s winegrowing regions are in the southwest, bordering or not far from France, and most are near the Rhine River or its tributaries, which give the vineyards their heart and soul.
When it comes to Pinot Noir, Pfalz, the warmest region, is perhaps most important. Pfalz shares a border with France’s Alsace, which also produces outstanding Pinot Noirs. In fact, one producer I list below actually grows grapes on both sides of the border, as do several others.
Other important regions for Pinot Noir are Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Ahr, and neighboring Baden and Württemberg. Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson note in their “World Atlas of Wine” that some of the more avant-garde producers in Baden, “using Burgundian techniques and clones, now manage to turn out elegant Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are scarcely put to shame by Burgundian originals.”
In fact, comparisons with Pinots from world-renowned Burgundy are not off base. Stylistically, many German Pinot Noirs fall on the lighter side compared with, say, the wines of Sonoma in California or even Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Alcohol levels in the 12 to 13 percent range are common. The wines tend to have more acidity, which gives them a lively freshness.
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