Monday, February 2, 2026

Sunday Greetings (Feb. 2, 2026) from ombiasy WineTours/ Annette Schiller - Focus Today: Germany Classic: 12 days, 11 nights - Sunday, June 28 - Thursday, July 09, 2026

Dear wine friends,

Today I would like to focus on the 12 day / 11 night wine tour I am doing in June of this year.

I invite you to tour seven world-famous German wine regions with me this year! 

“Germany is home to phenomenal terroir, with steep vineyards that offer distinct and fascinating expressions of grapes, especially Riesling. But even though this country makes profound wines, German wines are also accessible—that is, straight-up delicious. Few other wines combine depth and complexity with sheer enjoyment in the way German wine does” - Flatiron wine blog

For 15 years I have organized and led wine tours to Germany. I am in a unique position to do so: I am German, lived in the wine region for many years and still keep a home there; I studied German wine right there where the vines grow and where the wine is made. I know the culture, I speak the language, I know the history of Germany and its wine regions. I am friends with many winemakers among them some of the most prominent German wine producers. In a nutshell: I know my way around like the back of my hand.

Germany is one of the world’s greatest wine countries and I will tell you why.

First, let us deal with the most common myths surrounding German wine:

  1. Germany is just white wine country.

Fact: NO! The ratio is: 1/3 of German wine is red, 2/3 of German wine is white.

  1. German wine is sweet.

Fact: NO! German wine is NOT sweet. 90% of German wine is dry, and I mean DRY!

  1. German wine is Riesling.

Fact: NO! Vineyards planted with Riesling account for roughly 24% of the German vineyard area.

  1. German wine labels are too difficult to decipher.

Fact: NO! German wine labels are easy to read. They tell you exactly what you are going to get in the bottle.

Now, let me explain:

Many wine aficionados around the world overlook the wines of Germany and walk right past the shelves with the German wine section on their way to France or Italy. The myths mentioned above stick like glue. 

 
Wine has been produced in Germany for 2000 years, since the Romans crossed the Alps and brought vines and wine-making knowledge to their conquered territories.
 
Today Germany shares its spot as the seventh-largest wine producing country world-wide with Chile, Australia, and South Africa.
 
For centuries, German wine was considered to be among the best in the world - in the second half of the 19th century, German wines achieved higher prices than First Growth Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundies! The 20th century saw terrible wars, world-wide economic decline, the destruction of German vineyards, changing tastes, and climate change. By the 1970s-1980s German quality wine production started its take-off but had not yet found its entry into the upper echelon of the wine trade business. Since the turn of the century the quality of German wine has improved by leaps and bounds thanks to a new generation of winemakers who are excellently educated, have experiences gained by working at top-notch wineries abroad, and aim to make wines on par with the best wines in the world. 

Here are the answers to decode the myths:

 
  1. The German word for Pinot Noir is “Spätburgunder”. In the 1200s Cistercians monks from Burgundy first brought the grape to a territory which is now the Baden wine region in Germany: Spätburgunder wine has been produced in Germany for 800 years! Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir wine world-wide after Burgundy and the USA.
 
  1. Riesling is a very versatile grape variety and because of its crisp, unique flavor profile it can be produced in dry,fruity-sweet, and noble-sweet styles. Germany produces a wide variety of sweet Rieslings that are unheard of in other, warmer Riesling producing regions. However, the production of the dry style Riesling is dominant in Germany and most Germans drink dry Rieslings.
 
  1. About 100 different grape varieties grow in Germany. Yes, Germany is the No. 1 Riesling-growing country in the world, with 40% of the world’s Riesling wines produced there. However, Germany is also the No. 1 producer of Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder in German), No. 2 producer of Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder in German), and a serious producer of Chardonnay, among many other wines. 
 
  1. In 2020 Germany introduced a new wine law, which is in line with the European wine law. The principle is: “The narrower the appellation, the higher the quality”.  
 
 From bottom to top quality: Wine Region -> Village -> Single Vineyard -> 1er Cru -> Grand Cru.          
             
             It mirrors the Burgundy classification. We all know the quality pyramid of the wines of Burgundy which has always followed exactly this principle. And no one says I do not understand the Burgundy label!
 
             Germany is also home to phenomenal terroir, with steep vineyards that offer distinct and fascinating expressions of grapes. But even though this country makes profound wines, German wines are also accessible—that is, straight-up delicious. Few other wines combine depth and complexity with sheer enjoyment in the way German Riesling does.German wine is some of the most complex, terroir-expressive, and mind-blowing wine in the world.

Join us on an extraordinary journey to discover German wines!

For more information on this wine tour, check out: https://ombiasypr.com/index.php/wine-tours/germany-north/germany-north-introduction

For an inside view on how these wine tours are conducted, check out the overview of the 2024 wine tour: http://schiller-wine.blogspot.com/2024/09/overview-germany-rhein-mosel-nahe-2024.html

Please do not hesitate to contact me per phone or email for any question you may have. I am happy to answer all your queries. 

CHEERS

Annette

WINE EDUCATION ///  WINE TOURS
Annette Schiller, Diplom-Volkswirt
Professional Member and Wine Educator 
American Wine Society AWS
German Wine Society, Capital Chapter
ombiasy PR, LLC
Washington DC - Frankfurt am Main
T: +1 (703) 459.7513
T: + 49  177.337.0281
aschiller@ombiasypr.com
web: ombiasypr.com
blog: schiller-wine.blogspot.com 

Overview: Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings 
 






 
 
 




 


 

 
 

 
 

 





 
 
  
Pictures: Overview: Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings 

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