Germany makes the most thrilling, misunderstood white wine on earth, and half the world still thinks it all comes in a blue bottle labelled Liebfraumilch. It is time to fix that.

On steep, slate-covered slopes along rivers like the Mosel and the Nahe, Germany coaxes greatness from a cool, difficult climate. The results are wines of astonishing purity, precision and, quietly, some of the best value in the fine-wine world.

Riesling Rules

Riesling is the national treasure, and it does everything: bone dry to lusciously sweet, always with electric acidity and often barely more alcohol than a strong beer. That famous whiff of lime, green apple and, yes, a flick of petrol is the sign of the real thing. Few whites age so gracefully or so long.

Cracking the Label

A little vocabulary goes a long way. Trocken means dry. The ripeness ladder of Kabinett, Spätlese and Auslese tells you how ripe (and often how sweet) the grapes were. And GG, or Grosses Gewächs, marks a dry wine from a top vineyard: Germany's answer to grand cru.

Beyond Riesling

Germany has more than one string to its bow. Spätburgunder (the German name for Pinot Noir) is now seriously good, all red fruit and finesse. Silvaner makes gentle, savoury whites, and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) rounds things out. But it always comes back to Riesling, and rightly so.