German wines are one of the least understood categories of wine. It suffers from a significant language barrier, historically less popular grape varieties and the unfortunate legacy of millions of gallons of cheap sweet wine from the 60's and 70's. The last three decades have seen the transformation of German wine making and, perhaps more importantly, wine styling. A significant part of German wines were always produced dry but assumed to be sweet and today, the best wines of Germany are no longer restricted to super sweet, rich BA, TBA and Eiswein. The focus of many top estates are the dry Estate wines of the new designations Erste Lage and Grosses Gewachs (GG for short). Unfortunately the German's pension for precision has led to a layered and somewhat confusing quality categorization and origin scheme that has no rival. This concise but comprehensive read will unravel the mystery and clear the haze of the German wine landscape for you. We will explore the major villages and key vineyards of the 13 wine regions of unified Germany, discuss the history of wine classifications, look at the top producers and break down the other ways German wines are classified. You'll learn how to read a label to pick the better German wines, know what tp expect with that particular bottle, what to pairwith and how to better enjoy these amazing wines. It is no secret anymore, that the great Rieslings of Germany are the favored wines of many Sommeliers and Wine Authorities the World over. Riesling is highly expressive of it's "terroir" and its pristine aromatics, acid balance and purity of flavor is hard to match. True wine aficionados not only drink but savor the great wines of Germany. The best of these will outlive most other wines and age with exceptional grace, achieving spectacularly complex quality. In the end you will gain an exceptional appreciation and understanding for Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Silvaner, Sheurebe, Huxelrebe, Trollinger and Kerner but also the fine Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Schwarz Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Sparkling wines being produced in this diverse wine producing country.