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Germany has 13 separate wine growing regions, each of which produces its own style of wine, often from the same varieties. Generally, the lightest and most elegant German wines are produced in the Mosel-Sarr-Ruwer and Ahr regions.
Slightly fuller wines are made inthe Mittelrhein, Nahe, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut, while the fullest German wines tend to come from the regions of Pfalz, Hessische Bergstrasse, Sachsen, Württembery and Baden.

Wine regions	Major wine types	Soil type	Wine style
Ahr	Red/Rose: Spätburgunder, Portugieser	volcanic slate	light, fruity
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer	White: Riesling	slate-covered slopes, rich in minerals	elegant, delicate, racy
Nahe	White: Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner	loess, loam, quartzite, porphyry	fruity, crisp, stylish
Pfalz	White: Riesling, Scheurebe, Gewürztraminer,Muller-Thurgau, Kerner, Silvaner Red/Rose: Spätburgunder, Portugieser	loam, weathered limestone	full, aromatic, round
Hessische Bergstrasse	White: Riesling, Müller-Thurgau	loess	elegand, fruity, good acidity
Baden	White: Ruländer (Pinot Gris), Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Riesling Red/Rose:Spätburgunder	loess, loam, volcanic soil	full, aromatic, spicy
Sachsen	White: Müller-Thurgau, Weissburgunder, Gewürtraminer	variety of soil, (sand, porphyry, loam)	dry, crisp, distinctive

Selected websites show other articles on: Germany wines.
In a month I’ll post an overview of the German red varieties. In two months I’ll post an overview of the German white varieties.

In a nutshell: buy 2007 wines only from reliable producers.

Obviously a vintage is a concept: it cannot taste bad. The point here is to indicate that vine growers have had more problems this year than previous years. The quality of the wines very much depends on the vine growing — every year but this year even more so. This is the year when the serious, talented winemaker makes a big difference.

The Austrian wine marketing board have published their official summary of the vintage so far, calling it ‘the winemaker’s year’. In the words of Jancis Robinson this means that ‘there have been quite a few hurdles for them to overcome - in the vineyard perhaps even more than in the winery’.

In France, the cool summer of 2007 affected everyone and the September weather saved some grapes. Micro-climates came into play and the savvy vigneron had to carefully determine the date of harvest. Rot and mildew was widespread. Keeping the grapes on the vines was a gamble many winemakers did not make.

Côte d’Or, Burgundy

Reports Bill Nanson: ‘The vintage will be as heterogeneous as the approaches and the quality of grapes and sorting’. ‘Grapes from Latricières-Chambertin needed quite some work (just like in 2004)’.
Said Louis-Michel Liger-Belair: ‘we made a hard triage’.
Reports Martine Saunier, California importer of some growers in Burgundy and the Rhône Valley: ‘beginning 25 August, the weather warmed up and the sun finally came out. Temperatures rose to 25°-30° C. The grapes started turning red immediately’.

More reports

I have made complementary overviews:

• Oregon, Burgundy and Bordeaux vignerons explain harvesting and winemaking;
• Reports of bad grape growing conditions in the USA, Germany, France and Italy.

In the Northern Hemisphere most of the last wine grapes were picked by the 20th of October. I already reported on how the harvest started early. So the harvest period is about two months long.

Inside reports on the 2007 harvest season come from:

• Thomas Houseman at Anne Amie Vineyards, Oregon (harvest skewed),
• Vincent Fritzsche, in Oregon too (winemaking skewed),
• Château Palmer, a bordeaux estate.

Go have a look at pictures of the impressive harvesting machine at Château Lacayot (with French captions).

Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac excellently explained how grapes are turned into wine a year ago.

It is a little early to assess the quality of the vintage. Bear in mind that vintage quality is a complex concept. Nevertheless it is possible that the quality will go down for many French wines made in 2007. (I feel this while reading a few French ‘vignerons’ report on their ‘vendanges’.)

We already know that the volumes produced will be low in many places. This is a problem for the revenues of the producers. This is not a question on the quality of the wines. The reports of low volume come from Oregon, California, France (the article is in French), Italy.

Regions which produce as much wine this year as the previous year include Bordeaux.

It is urgent that you consider making your own wine from bought grapes. Or wait for next year!

Here is a list of vine varieties with a description of the red wines made from them.

Variety	Origin	Description
Aglianico	Greek	Tannic, tarry wines of great breed and lasting power from southern Italy.
Alicante	French	Hybrid. Undistinguished grape with highly coloured juice, teinturier.
Baco Noir	French	Hybrid. Full-bodied, deep colour, smoky blackberry flavour.
Barbera	Italian	Medium colour, high acid, dry quaffing wine.
Cabernet Franc	French	(Bouchet) Usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Medium-weight, herbaceous wines suggestive of violets and raspberries.
Cabernet Sauvignon	French	Deep ruby colour, black currant and cedar nose, full-bodied, tannic when young. Capable of long ageing. Softened with Merlot, Cabernet Franc in Bordeaux and in California and Australia.
Carignan	Spain	Widely planted, high yielding. Astringent table wine with good colour, used for blending.
Cinsault	French	Hot weather grape, deep colour and meaty flavour, low tannins. Good for blending.
de Chaunac	French	Hybrid. Acid, tough red, slightly smoky in flavour.
Dolcetto	Italian	Deep-coloured, soft, fruity wine, not for ageing.
Freisa	Italian	Garnet colour, light, dry wine tasting of raspberries.
Gamay	French	Grape of Beaujolais. Fresh, fruity, light-bodied wines tasting of cherry and plums with peppery finish. Fast maturing.
Gamay Beaujolais	California	Hybrid; a crossing between Valdiguié and Pinot Noir. Not very distinguished. Fruity flavour, high acid.
Grenache		(Garnacha/Cannonau) Fruity, high alcohol, low tannins, soft. Good for rosé. Fast maturing.
Grignolino	Italian	Light colour, fragrant strawberry aroma, very dry.
Kadarka	Hungary	(Gamza) Powerful, deep, full-bodied wines.
Lambrusco	Italy	Light, grapey, fruity, off-dry wines.
Malbec	French	(Côt) Early maturing, low acid, blackberry flavour. A lesser blending grape in Bordeaux.
Maréchal Foch	French	Hybrid. Deep-coloured, peppery, plummy, acidic wine.
Merlot	French	Purple, full-bodied wines, blackberry flavour. Less tannic and earlier maturing than Cabernet Sauvignon. Ages very well.
Mourvèdre	Spanish	(Mataro) Deep-coloured, powerful wines with a spicy blackberry taste.
Nebbiolo	Italian	(Spanna/Chiavennasca) The noble grape of Piedmont producing long-lasting wines that take time to soften. Brick red, truffles and violets on the nose with an austere dry finish.
Petite Sirah	French	Californian name for the French Duriff. Full-bodied, deep-coloured wines with peppery flavour.
Pinot Noir	French	(Pinot Nero, Spätburgunder) One of the grapes of Champagne and the grape of red Burgundy. Difficult to cultivate. Garnet colour, barnyard bouquet, raspberry flavour, medium weight. Ages very well.
Pinot Meunier	French	Secondary grape of Champagne. Fruity, acidic, low alcohol.
Pinotage	S.Africa	(Hermitage) Pinot Noir Cinsault crossing. Robust, powerful red, inky nose. Fast maturing, ageing potential.
Primitivo	Italy	Massive black wines of high alcohol and intense fruit. Thought to be progenitor of the Californian Zinfandel.
Ruby Cabernet	California	A Carignan-Cabernet Sauvignon crossing. Deep-coloured, fruity wines but lacking the finesse and breeding of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sangiovese	Italian	A Chianti grape usually blended with Canaiolo. Earthy, truffle-scented wines with fine acidity and ample tannins. Capable of long ageing.
Syrah	Middle East	(Shiraz) Powerful black, aromatic wines tasting of blackberries and white pepper. Capable of long ageing.
Tempranillo	Spanish	(Ull de Llebre) Pinot Noir-like character. Pale ruby colour, coconut and sandalwood bouquet. Dry strawberry flavour. Ages elegantly.
Touriga Naçional	Portugal	The best port grape. Intense dark wine with high tannin and a lovely berry nose. Other port grapes include Mourisco, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarella, Tinta Cao and Touriga Francesa.
Xynomavro	Greek	Black wines of high acidity and tannin that age well.
Zinfandel	California	Versatile grape that can produce powerhouse to medium-weight reds, rosés and blush wines. Characterized by a blackberry flavour and intense fruit. Also late harvest with port-like sweetness.

On this website here is a list of white wine varietals.
Here are articles on other quality websites about: red wine varietals.