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One of the better wine-producing villages in Germany’s rheinhesse region. It’s located in the area of excellent vineyards known as the Rheinterrasse, which is south of the city of Mainz. The red sandstone, which runs through the area, yields grapes that produce high-quality wines with unique character. Riesling and Sylvaner grapes can both produce great wines. Engelsberg and Roth­enberg are the top einzellagen.

see Pinot Noir

Although the Nahe is one of the smaller of Ger­many’s anbaugebiete (quality-wine regions), it’s well known to connoisseurs as a producer of high-quality Riesling wines. The Nahe River is a tributary of the Rhine River, flowing into it at Bingen. The 12,000 vineyard acres, which are spread out along both banks and part of the surrounding areas, are planted primarily with white varieties. Müller-Thurgau is the most widely planted grape, followed by Riesling and Sylvaner. Riesling grapes, … (view more)

see acetone

The Napa Valley is the most famous wine region in California and the United States. Its winemaking history started in 1838 when Mission grapes were planted by George C. Yount, who made his first wines in the early 1840s. The earliest commercial winery was established by Charles Krug in 1861. This was followed by Schramsberg (1862), Beringer (1876), Inglenook (1879) And Beaulieu vineyard (1900). After growing to over 160 wineries in the 1880s, the Napa Valley was devastated by phylloxera, which … (view more)

see Gamay

Grape varieties indigenous to the Americas. Four main species are related to wine production—Vitis aestivalis, Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, and Vitis rotundifolia—none of which produce grapes used to make the world’s fine wines. That honor goes to Vitis vinifera (which includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc grapes), an Asian and European species used in over 99 percent of the world’s wines. Native American varieties have made an important contribution to the wine … (view more)

see yeast

Old German terms referring to wines that don’t have added sugar. These terms have been outdated by the Qualitätswein mit pradikät (QmP) category, established in 1971, which defines the finest German wines.

1. French words meaning “nature” and “natural,” referring to wine to which nothing (usually meaning sugar or alcohol) has been added. 2. On Champagne or sparkling wine labels, these terms typically refer to wines that don’t have liqueur d’expédition (dosage) added, which would contribute to sweetness. Such wines are sometimes called brut nature. 3. On some sparkling wine labels, naturel may mean that the wine is not totally dry but simply the driest style of that producer. 4. In the … (view more)