Press

The region’s dominance as a source for dealcoholized wines comes down to climate, technology, and a population willing to drink NA.

As sales of alcoholic beverages have slowed in recent years, nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits have emerged as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the drinks industry. No longer a niche category for the sober or pregnant, NA drinks are attracting a wide audience of health-conscious, sober-curious or just occasionally alcohol-free consumers too.

In the 35 years since German reunification, the wine regions of Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen have occupied little more than a footnote in the story of German viticulture. On a recent trip, Anna Lee Ijima found a young, bold new cadre of winemakers coming in from the cold.

Sekt, Germany’s sparkling wine and best kept secret, is having a renaissance. Is it poised to take its place between Champagne and Prosecco in the American sparkling wine awakening?

The time most people buy sparkling wines is typically right before the winter holidays…To guide holiday shoppers, we publish our annual review of sparkling wines every November, highlighting selections that our “usual suspects” group of tasters enjoyed.

With the attention and fanfare devoted to Riesling, it’s easy for even well-versed readers to forget that 76% of Germany’s total plantings fall squarely into the ‘not-Riesling’ category. In fact, of the 462 Grosse Gewächse (GG) wines presented at the VDP’s annual tasting last month, only 16% were Riesling.

With iconic steep sloped vineyards, a mosaic of slate-driven soils, tapestry of microclimates resulting from the snaking Mosel River, families with twelve generations of winemaking, next generation passionate winemakers, and low-intervention, biodynamic winemakers, Mosel Valley is one of the world’s premier wine regions, producing some of the world’s best Riesling.

One of the joys of summertime is finding the perfect wine to pair with the season’s variety of outdoor activities. From a refreshing and salty white that complements beach snacks to a chilled red at a backyard cookout that brightens every dish to an icy rosé that makes a lazy weekend picnic that much more enjoyable, some wines were just born to be sipped al fresco.