Wine Regions and Grapes

Wine terraces in the Ahr region

Regions and Grapes

German wine differs from wines of other countries — it's light, lively and fruity, thanks to Germany's unique climatic and geological conditions. There are 13 different regions, read about this month’s profiled region below or follow this link to find out about the other 12.

Data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Statistics in Germany shows that there are nearly 100 grape varieties grown in normal and/or experimental vineyards. Of these, about two dozen are of commercial importance, above all, Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, which account for some 43% of Germany's 105,000 hectares of vineyards. Nearly 7.5% of the vineyard area is planted with Spätburgunder, or Pinot Noir, making it the most important red wine grape in Germany.

Find out about the current featured grape or find out about Germany’s other white and red grape varieties:
White grapes
Red grapes

The Pfalz wine growing region

Pfalz (Palatinate)

The Pfalz is Germany’s second largest wine growing region with a vineyard area of 23,363 ha. Bordered by Rheinhessen to the north, the Haardt Mountains to the west, the Rhine River to the east and the French Alsace region to the south, the Pfalz’s vineyards sweep across this remarkably pretty, peaceful land for nearly 80 kilometres (50 miles). Its climate is much like that of Alsace and it is the sunniest and driest of the German wine regions.

45 white and 22 red grape varieties are grown, with approximately 60% of the total area under vine planted with white wine grapes and 40% with red. The main white varieties are Riesling (21%), Müller-Thurgau (Rivaner) (10%) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Grigio) (5%). The main red varieties are Dornfelder (14%), Portugieser (10%) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) (7%).

The word Pfalz is derived from the Latin word palatium, meaning palace. The English equivalent, Palatinate, is sometimes used to refer to the Pfalz. Modern technology and viticultural training have made their mark here in the past four decades. Yet for the visitor driving through the sea of vines along the German Wine Road, the scene is still very much rural with the tree-covered Haardt mountain range, castle ruins, fruit trees, and the old walled villages of half-timbered houses.

The Pfalz is second only to the Mosel in acreage planted with the ‘noble’ Riesling grape. Here, it yields wines of substance and finesse, with a less austere acidity than their Mosel counterparts and aromas of stone (peach, apricot) rather than green fruit. Pleasant, mild white wines rich in bouquet and full of body are produced from Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder (Pinot Grigio), Silvaner and Scheurebe grapes, while smooth, fruity red wine is made from the Portugieser grape. In response to the growing demand for red wine, there are many new plantings of Dornfelder which, depending on the winemaking techniques employed, produces a deep-coloured and complex wine. The world-renowned Pinot Noir is one of the most important red varieties grown in the Pfalz region, particularly in the south.

Click here to find out more about the Pfalz and Germany’s 12 other winegrowing regions.

Grauburgunder / Ruländer

Grauburgunder (Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris)

Grauburgunder, or Ruländer, is the German synonym for the grape more widely known as Pinot Gris in France and Pinot Grigio in Italy.

The variety is a mutation of Pinot Noir and originates from Burgundy where it was first documented in the Middle Ages. In the 14th century plantings of Grauburgunder came to the Kaiserstuhl in Baden via the Balaton region of Hungary and Alsace.

Although Grauburgunder produces white wine, its skins, when fully ripe, have a rust-red tinge. The grape is a particularly popular variety in southern Germany, especially in Baden, where the warmer temperatures and longer sunshine hours allow it to fully develop its characteristic fruity pear and pineapple flavours. In 2005 there were 1,619 ha of plantings, which accounted for 10 % of the total vineyard area in Baden. Today, Grauburgunder vines are also grown in the Pfalz (992 ha; 4.2 % of the vineyard area) and in Rheinhessen (1069 ha: 4.1 % of the vineyard area). In Germany as a whole, plantings totalled 4,211 ha in 2005 accounting for 4.1% of the total vineyard area in the whole country. This percentage makes Grauburgunder the fourth most important white wine grape variety in Germany.

Grauburgunder is sometimes referred to as Ruländer in Germany. This name originated in 1771, when a German merchant, named Johann Seger Ruland discovered a grape growing wild in the fields of Speyer in the Palatinate (Pfalz). The wine he produced became known as Ruländer and the vine was later found to be Pinot Gris.

Nowadays, although the names Ruländer and Grauburgunder are interchangeable, the term Grauburgunder is usually used to refer to the more elegant style of wines that work well with food. Ruländer is a term often used, although not exclusively, in the Baden region to refer mostly to the sweeter and heavier style of wines.

Cochem Castle

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