Germany 

Once again, it was the ancient Romans who brought viticulture to the countries of northern Europe. Certainly, the most prominent German production is reserved for white wines which, thanks to their marked acidity and richness in mineral substances, are famous for their longevity . The best German vineyards correspond, coincidentally, to the northern latitude of Alsace and Champagne. Also due to the limited exposure to the sun, German wines generally have a rather low alcohol content, between 7° and 11°, amply compensated on a gustatory level by the minerality and the high presence of extracts, as well as by the acidity . The German quality system is one of a kind: it is closely linked to the concept of " degree of ripeness of the grapes " (and therefore of their sugar content, not so much in the sense of "sweetness" as of "structure"): it provides for 6 levels corresponding to as many categories of wines. Here they are: Kabinett : light, low-alcoholic and dry wines; Spätlese : (late harvest) more intense and structured wines, which can be both dry and “sweet”. Auslese : wines produced with very ripe grapes. Beerenauslese : (selected grapes) wines produced from grapes whose bunches have been attacked by noble rot ( Botrytis Cinerea ). Eiswein : drying of the grapes due to cold and ice. Trockenbeerenauslese : (selected dried grapes), are produced only in the best years, with dried grapes attacked by noble rot (Botrytis Cinerea). Sekt : they are quality sparkling wines produced with not particularly ripe grapes. The sekts can be produced both with the Charmat method and with the Classic method . A rich production, with small cellars and a very high average quality.