German Wine
The only country you'd think would be less likely to have a thriving wine culture than China would be Germany. I mean, when you think of Germany you think Beer, Tubas and the trains running on time. You wouldn't think wine has anything to do with these.
Germany doesn't just judge its wine by region or variety, that would be two imprecise. Germany has three levels of wine classification.
- Deutscher Tafelwein - Table wine, for everyday consumption.
- Qualitätswein bestimmer Anbaugebiet (QbA) - Means quality wine from a specified region. You'll find some of the best German wines here.
- Prädikatswein - Quality wine with a special distinction. Wines that, like champagne, don't fit one of the standard categories but are nonetheless excellent.
German wines are generally made with white grapes, and the Riesling is the particular favorite. Lately, though Germany has rediscovered Pinot Noir, which they call Spätburgunder (German for "Late Burgundy").
Deutscher Tafelwein is self-explanatory, the other two take a bit more explaining.