Germany's Greatest Wines: 50 Exceptional German Wines

Picture: Annette Schiller and Egon Müller in New York City. See: The Annual "Slaughterhouse" Riesling Feast in New York: Rieslingfeier 2017, USA

Falstaff, a leading German wine and food journal, issued a list of 50 exceptional German wines. The list was put togather by Ulrich Sauter, who is in charge of wines at Falstaff. He took into account a number of factors, but at the end of the day it is a personal list of somebody who really knows German wine,

01 Scharzhofberger Trockenbeerenauslese, Egon Müller-Scharzhof

Already in terms of auction proceeds a world record: At the auction of the Großer Ring in 2015 buyers paid Euro 12,000 plus surcharge for a 0.75-liter bottle. And also otherwise this is a wine of extreme: It brings the highest possible grape maturity from the coolest possible top vineyard in the glass. And: Anyone who puts such a bottle in the cellar still does good to his or her grandchildren and great-grandchildren - these wines are still fresh after 80 years.

Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller with Egon Müller, Weingut Egon Müller, at the Rieslingfeier 2015 in New York City, USA, see: The 11 Winemakers: Rieslingfeier 2015 in New York City, USA

02 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese, J. J. Prüm

If you want to understand classic Mosel wine at its core and enjoy it in its pointed form, you can not ignore this label. Of course, typically Dr. Manfred Prüm and his daughter Dr. Katharina climb up the predicate ladder much higher than the "normal" Auslese. But this wine marks a maximum of its own kind: more drinking pleasure with such a combination of longevity and minerality is hard to imagine.

Picture: Annette Schiller and Manfred Prüm

Picture: Christian Schiller with Katharina Pruem at Wegmans in Virginia. See also: JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans

Pictures: Tasting at the Legendary Weingut J.J. Prüm with Amei Prüm– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2016

03 Niederhausen Hermannshöhle Riesling GG, Dönnhoff

Far beyond the borders of the Nahe Region - and especially internationally - the Hermannshöhle is the epitome of a dry German sinlge vineyard Riesling with depth and ripeness: What Helmut Dönnhoff has created in three decades in terms of profile and reputation, but above all in terms of qualitative reliability, is now being continued by his son Cornelius.

Picture: Cornelius Dönnhoff, David Schildknecht and Annette Schiller in New York. See: Rieslingfeier 2018 in New York City: Gränd Tasting and Gala Dinner

Pictures: With Helmut Dönnhoff, Weingut Dönnhoff (Nahe), at the 2019 Weinbörse in Mainz. See: Attending the 2019 VDP.Weinbörse - Vintage 2018 - in Mainz - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Pictures: An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany

Pictures: Tasting with Anne Dönnhoff. See: Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

04 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Robert Weil
05 Erden Prälat Riesling Auslese, Weingut Dr. Loosen
06 Rüdesheim Schlossberg Riesling (trocken), Weingut Georg Breuer
07 Zeltingen Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*** Goldene Kapsel, Weingut Markus Molitor
08 Geisenheim Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingüter Wegeler – Gutshaus Rheingau
09 Oestrich Lenchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn
10 Scharzhofberger Pergentsknopp Riesling GG, Weingut van Volxem
11 Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Gunderloch
12 Brauneberg Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Lange Goldkapsel, Weingut Fritz Haag
13 G-Max Riesling trocken, Weingut Klaus Peter Keller
14 Würzburg Stein-Harfe, Silvaner GG, Bürgerspital zum Hl. Geist
15 Rothenberg Riesling Alte Reben GG, Weingut Kühling-Gillot
16 Bürgstadt Centgrafenberg Hunsrück Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Rudolf Fürst
17 Erbach Marcobrunn Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern
18 Steinberg Riesling aus dem Cabinetkeller, Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach
19 Lump Silvaner Trockenbeerenauslese, Weingut Horst Sauer
20 Assmannshausen Höllenberg Spätburgunder GG, Weingut August Kesseler
21 Pünderich Marienburg Raffes GG, Weingut Clemens Busch
22 Walporzheimer Kräuterberg Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Meyer-Näkel
23 Forst Kirchenstück GG Riesling, Weingut von Winning
24 Winningen Uhlen, Roth Lay Riesling GG, Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein
25 Dorsheim Burgberg Riesling GG, Schlossgut Diel
26 »Heydenreich« Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Friedrich Becker
27 Forst Kirchenstück Riesling GG, Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
28 Bernkastel Doctor Riesling Spätlese, Weingut Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch – Erben Müller-Burggraef
29 Kallstadt Saumagen Riesling Auslese trocken RR, Weingut Koehler-Ruprecht
30 Oberrotweil Kirchberg Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Salwey
31 Homburg Kallmuth Silvaner GG Asphodill, Weingut Fürst Löwenstein
32 Forst Kirchenstück Riesling GG, Weingut Reichsrat von Buhl
33 Spätburgunder »Juwel«trocken, Weingut Krone Assmannshausen
34 Spätburgunder Alte Reben trocken, Weingut Jean Stodden
35 Fellbach Lämmler Lemberger GG, Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann
36 Kallstadt Saumagen Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Rings
37 Hochheim Hölle Riesling GG, Weingut Künstler
38 Iphofen Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner GG, Weingut Hans Wirsching
39 Spätburgunder Rhini trocken, Weingut Hanspeter Ziereisen
40 Neipperg Schlossberg Lemberger GG, Weingut Graf Neipperg
41 Cuvée X trocken, Weingut Knipser
42 Silberlack Riesling GG, Domäne Schloss Johannisberg
43 Würzburg Stein Silvaner GG, Weingut Juliusspital
44 Ruländer »R« trocken, Weingut Reinhold und Cornelia Schneider
45 Bacharach Hahn »Im Hahnen« Riesling GG, Weingut Toni Jost – Hahnenhof
46 Maximin Grünhaus Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese, Maximin Grünhaus – Schlosskellerei C. von Schubert
47 Fellbach Lämmler Spätburgunder GG, Weingut Aldinger
48 Kirrweiler Mandelberg Weißburgunder GG, Weingut Bergdolt
49 Achkarren Schlossberg Grauburgunder GG, Weingut Dr. Heger
50 »Granat« trocken, Weingut Albrecht Schwegler