Vins d'Allemagne : riesling d'ardoise et pinot noir du Rhin
43 bouteilles, du riesling de Moselle au pinot noir de BadenAn acidity that keeps the bottle standing for ten years, precise fruit, a light degree of alcohol: Mosel Riesling is recognisable from the first glass. The vines grow here on slate slopes so steep that the work is done by hand, above a river that throws the light back onto the bunches.
The section follows two threads. The whites first, from taut and dry to the sweeter styles for the end of a meal, carried by Joh. Jos. Prüm, Dr. Loosen and Axel Pauly. Then the reds, those southern Pinot Noirs that the label calls Spätburgunder, lighter than a Burgundy and cut out for the table.
Ziereisen - Jaspis Zipsin Pinot Noir 2021
A Pinot Noir from a limestone terroir, precise and elegant, where the finesse of the fruit meets a deep and digestible structure.
Ziereisen - Gutedel 2022
A straight and saline Gutedel from the Markgräflerland, combining crystalline freshness and mineral finesse.
Ways into the German shelf
Six ways into this wine country, from your first dry riesling to the end-of-meal bottle.
Taste the style for under twenty euros
Un riesling sec de Moselle, citron et pierre mouillée, élevé sur ardoise bleue. La porte d'entrée la plus fidèle au style de la vallée.
Axel Pauly Generations Riesling 2022 · 18,60 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Un sec de grand terroir
Ungrafted century-old vines on the Graach slope, made in foudre: dry riesling in its deepest form.
Dr. Loosen Graacher Domprobst Trocken GG 2023 · 47 € la bouteille, par lot de 3An off-dry wine for foie gras
Fruits confits, miel et une acidité qui relance la bouche à chaque gorgée. Le contrepoint classique d'une terrine ou d'un roquefort.
Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Auslese 2024 · 31,80 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6A German red for a dinner
Pinot noir du Palatinat, cerise et sous-bois, tanin fin. À servir frais sur une volaille rôtie ou un plat de champignons.
Friedrich Becker Becker Family Spätburgunder 2019 · 32,60 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Une bouteille d'exception à offrir
La capsule dorée du plus célèbre domaine de la Moselle, sur le coteau du cadran solaire de Wehlen. Une garde qui se compte en décennies.
Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap 2018 · 186 € la bouteille, à l'unitéSuivre le cépage roi
Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese or a dry wine from a great terroir: the riesling page explains the sugar scale and gathers the bottles, here and elsewhere.
Page du rayon · RieslingFollow the trail of the reds
German pinot noir, from Baden to the Pfalz: light, fresh, easy-drinking reds, to be served at around fifteen degrees.
Page du rayon · Spätburgunder
Où pousse la vigne allemande
The vineyards occupy the river valleys of the south-west, where water and slope make up for the latitude. Each river gives a style of its own, from the icy Mosel to the almost Mediterranean Palatinate.
| Région | Cépage dominant | Le style | The estates in this section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moselle et SarreArdoise bleue, pentes à 60 degrés | Riesling | Léger, tendu, floral, souvent moins de 9 degrés | Joh. Jos. Prüm, Dr. LoosenAxel Pauly, Fritz Haag, Van Volxem |
| Rheinhessen | Riesling | Plus large, fruits jaunes, finale saline | Wittmann à Westhofen, Dreissigacker à Bechtheim |
| Pfalz, le Palatinat | Riesling et spätburgunder | Mûr et généreux, climat le plus doux du pays | Koehler Ruprecht à Kallstadt, Friedrich Becker à Schweigen |
| Baden, le pays de Bade | Spätburgunder | Rouge souple et parfumé, en face de l'Alsace | Ziereisen au Markgräflerland, Schieferkopf en Ortenau |
| Rheingau | Riesling | Plus de matière et de corps qu'en Moselle | Erbach, sur la rive droite du Rhin |
The Saar is a tributary valley of the Mosel: its Rieslings, more austere in their youth, are grouped with it on the Mosel and Saar page.
Du sec au liquoreux, ce que la mention annonce
A German label indicates how ripe the grapes were at harvest, known as the Prädikat, and not the final taste. Two words settle the question of sugar: Trocken for a dry wine, Feinherb for an off-dry one.
| Mention | What you are drinking | Sucre restant | À table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trocken | Sec franc, acidité droite | Jusqu'à 9 g/l | Poisson blanc, crustacés, fromage de chèvre frais |
| Feinherb, halbtrocken | Demi-sec discret, à peine perceptible | 10 à 18 g/l | Cuisine thaïe, volaille au curry doux |
| Kabinett | The lightest of the Prädikat levels, lively and fruity | 20 à 40 g/l | Apéritif, saumon fumé, tarte à l'oignon |
| Spätlese | Vendange tardive, fruit plus mûr et plus rond | 40 à 80 g/l | Porc rôti, plats aigres-doux, comté |
| Auslese | Grappes triées, miel et fruits confits | 80 à 150 g/l | Foie gras, Roquefort, mirabelle plum tart |
| Beerenauslese | Baies botrytisées triées grain à grain, dense | Au-delà de 150 g/l | Yellow-fruit desserts, at the end of a meal |
The term GG, for Grosses Gewächs, designates a dry wine from a vineyard classified by the VDP, the association of the leading estates: the richness comes from the terroir, the finish stays dry. Wines carrying a sweet Prädikat are found on the Riesling page, which follows the grape variety from dry to sweet.
Pourquoi l'ardoise fait la différence
The blue stone of the Mosel acts as a radiator. It absorbs the heat of the day, gives it back to the vine during the night and lets the grapes ripen at a latitude where the vine ought to struggle. It also lets the water drain away, which forces the roots to go down a long way, and that constraint comes back in the glass as saline tension.
That is why a German riesling is often eight or nine degrees where a white from the south shows fourteen. The alcohol stays low, the acidity carries the wine, and the ageing potential goes beyond that of many reds.
Comment on choisit
We taste every cuvée before listing it, and we look for two things on this shelf: the clarity of the fruit and the length of the saline finish. A riesling that falls short after the attack stays in the cloakroom, however fine the label. The rest follows the terroir, from light Kabinett to gold capsule.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
What you ask us about German wines
Pourquoi ces vins se vendent-ils surtout par lot ou par caisse ?
The German estates we follow ship their cuvées in full cases, and we keep that format to hold the price down. The price shown on each listing is the price per bottle, and the sales format appears right next to it. A few cuvées are still available as single bottles, notably from Joh. Jos. Prüm and Friedrich Becker.
Is a German riesling always sweet?
Most of the vineyard area today makes dry wine. The word to look for on the label is Trocken, which guarantees a dry wine, or Feinherb for a discreetly off-dry one. The terms Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese used on their own announce on the contrary a wine that is increasingly sweet, its sugar balancing a high acidity.
Que veut dire Spätburgunder sur une étiquette ?
It is the German name for pinot noir, the same grape variety as in Burgundy. It is grown mainly in the south of the country, in Baden and the Pfalz, where it gives light, perfumed reds with silky tannins. Serve them at around fifteen degrees, barely chilled. Our selection is gathered on the Spätburgunder page.
Combien de temps peut-on garder un riesling de Moselle ?
Much longer than most whites. The acidity and the sugar protect the wine, so a Kabinett holds for ten years and an Auslese for several decades. The wine often goes through a closed phase around its fifth year, then reopens on the notes of honey, lime blossom and petrol that mark its maturity.
What is the difference between Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese?
These words indicate how ripe the grapes were at harvest, and therefore their sugar concentration. Kabinett comes from a normal harvest and stays light, Spätlese from a later, riper picking, Auslese from a selection of overripe bunches. The table of label designations sets out the food pairings for each.
Which dishes should you serve with a dry German Riesling?
Its acidity calls for richness and salt: oysters, smoked salmon, trout with beurre blanc, poached chicken, goat's cheese. The broader versions from Rheinhessen and the Palatinate stand up to roast pork or a fish choucroute. Dry Mosel crus also go beautifully with a fry-up of smelt.
Which German wine should you choose as an aperitif?
A Mosel Kabinett fills that role better than anything: low in alcohol, very fresh, with a hint of sugar that rounds off the edges. Served well chilled, it goes with fish rillettes or gougères. To stay dry, an entry-level Riesling from Rheinhessen also does the job very well.
Que signifie la mention GG sur une bouteille ?
GG is short for Grosses Gewächs, literally great growth. The term designates a dry wine from a vineyard classified by the VDP, the association of Germany's leading estates, with limited yields and a hand harvest. It is the closest equivalent to a grand cru, applied only to dry wines.
À quelle température servir ces vins ?
Allow 10–12 °C for a dry Riesling, and a little cooler, around 8 °C, for a Kabinett or an Auslese whose sugar gains from being tightened up. Spätburgunder is served at 14–16 °C. Take the bottle out of the fridge a quarter of an hour before serving.
Par où commencer si je découvre ce vignoble ?
Take a dry Mosel riesling at around twenty euros a bottle, then a Kabinett to understand what the sugar brings. Those two glasses lay out the grammar of the country. The Mosel and Saar page brings together the heart of the selection, and the Riesling page goes into detail on the grape variety.