Guest Blogger Vincent Yuen 隨意走，尋找甜蜜生活!
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Vincent Yuen is an Italian wine book author and a freelance editor. He holds a WSET Diploma, Italian Wine Ambassador, Certified Italian Wine Educator, Italian Wine Scholar, Sud de France Master-Level Certificate and SSI International Kikisake-shi qualifications. With extensive experience in wine education, he believes both rationality and sensibility are essential to tasting. In addition to wine tasting, he is also the official olive oil taster of O.N.A.O.O (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva), a Olive Oil Sommelier, and a member of Chaine des Rotisseurs.

*The English version is a translation of the original in Chinese for information purposes only.

German Riesling

Whether you have formally studied wine tasting or not, whenever German wine is mentioned, most people immediately think of Riesling—a remarkably versatile grape variety capable of producing white wines of vastly different styles and sweetness levels depending on the winemaking approach.

Younger wine lovers may also have heard older generations talk about Liebfraumilch, a once hugely popular semi‑sweet white wine made from Riesling, Silvaner, Kerner, and Müller‑Thurgau. Today, however, its popularity has faded—much like the German national football team—rarely returning to former glory.

The German Wine Classification System

Germany’s distinctive wine classification system, Prädikatswein, is fundamentally different from the region‑based systems used in most other European countries. Instead of geography, it is based on the sugar level of grape must at harvest, divided from lowest to highest into:
Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese, with Eiswein added based on a specific winemaking method—making a total of six levels. This system often feels like navigating a parallel universe, and when combined with the long German words, it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin.
(Further reading: Wine 101 – German Riesling Sweetness Levels)

The VDP Classification

The VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) uses an eagle emblem as its symbol. A bottle carrying this mark indicates the winery is a VDP member, widely recognised as a guarantee of quality.

Inspired by Burgundy’s classification model, the VDP categorises vineyards into four tiers: regional, village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru. The highest level is the Grand Cru, known in German as Grosses Gewächs (GG).

German Pinot Noir

When it comes to German red wine, many people feel puzzled—and mentioning Pinot Noir may raise even more eyebrows. Yet beyond Riesling, German Pinot Noir has quietly become a growing focus in the wine market.

Known in German as Spätburgunder (literally “Late Burgundy”), the name reflects both the grape’s Burgundian origin and the fact that Germany’s cooler climate delays ripening compared to Burgundy. Pinot Noir arrived in Germany as early as the 9th century, first planted on the slopes of the Rheingau. Today, it is cultivated across almost all German wine regions, making Germany the third‑largest Pinot Noir producer globally, after France and the United States.

However, due to strong domestic consumption and limited exports, German Pinot Noir has long been overlooked internationally.

Over time, Germany has developed its own Pinot Noir clones, resulting in wines with brighter red‑fruit profiles, higher acidity, and softer tannins than their Burgundian counterparts. Combined with climate change, advances in winemaking, and the ambition of a new generation of winemakers, German Pinot Noir is now gaining international recognition—and is absolutely worth paying attention to.

German Pinot Noir production is mainly concentrated in the southern, warmer regions, such as Pfalz.

A. Christmann Winery

Weingut A. Christmann is located in Mittelhaardt, Pfalz, between the Rhine River and the Haardt Mountains—an extension of the Vosges. Much like the Vosges, the Haardt Mountains shield the region from Atlantic winds and rainfall, giving Pfalz a warm and dry climate.

Now in its seventh generation, the winery was taken over in 1996 by Steffen Christmann, formerly a lawyer. With strong conviction, he believed that biodynamic viticulture was the future of the estate, adopting it fully by 2002. His philosophy centres on the idea of “Terroir to the Cellar.”

A. Christmann Aus den Lagen Spätburgunder 2019

This is a relatively new release from the estate. The Pinot Noir grapes come from VDP First and Grand Cru vineyards, are hand‑harvested, with 20–30% whole‑cluster fermentation, followed by 18 months of barrel ageing, 20% of which are new oak.

The wine shows a light ruby red colour. Aromas open with charming violet florals, followed by red berries such as strawberry, cherry, plum, and raspberry, interwoven with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, and cardamom. On the palate, the acidity is fresh and lively, tannins are fine and silky, with additional notes of black pepper and earth.

This is a vibrant, approachable Pinot Noir that requires no complicated interpretation. At a time when Burgundy Pinot Noir prices continue to soar, this German alternative stands out for its excellent value for money.

A. Christmann IDIG Riesling GG 2021

One simply cannot discuss German wine without mentioning Riesling.

The grapes for this Riesling come from the iconic IDIG Grand Cru vineyard, almost entirely monopolised by the estate, with records dating back to the 14th century. The vineyard lies on a south‑east‑facing slope, enjoys abundant sunlight, and is dominated by limestone soils. The topsoil, known as Terra Fusca, formed from lime and clay, has excellent water retention and is rich in iron—ideal for vine growth. All grapes are hand‑harvested and fermented in oak barrels.

The wine displays a brilliant lemon‑yellow colour. Aromas include elderflower, white flowers, lemon, pear, hay, flint, and subtle petrol notes. The palate is dry with piercing acidity, perfectly balancing ripe fruit intensity. The wine is full‑bodied, with flavours of green apple, apricot, white pepper, a hint of white peach, stone, and increasingly pronounced petrol notes.

Elegant in appearance yet dependable and restrained in character, this is a thoughtful, structured dry Riesling—not flashy, but deeply expressive. Already drinking well now, it will reward further ageing.

For those who enjoy the Aus den Lagen Spätburgunder and wish to explore German Pinot Noir further, the estate also produces a Spätburgunder from the IDIG Grand Cru vineyard.

We’ll save that bottle—and further exploration of German wines—for another time.