Sunday, October 16, 2011

Misunderstood: The Case for German Wine


October puts us all in the mood for a good Oktoberfest, hoisting full steins of good German beer accompanied by sausages and other German goodies.  It’s always a fun time, but it also raises an interesting question, as to why Germany, a land with a history of winemaking, always seems to be in the back seat among the world’s winemakers.

A similar question was posed by our new German exchange student, who moved in with us last month and noticed my obsession with wine. 
“Are German wines really any good, or do we just say that because we make them?” he asked. 
“Yes, there are some outstanding German wines,” I responded.
“Why don’t you have any?” he asked.  Good question.  And he didn’t like the answer.