The current statistics of the German Wine Institute speak a clear language: Pinot Noir is the most important red wine variety in Germany. More than 11,000 hectares of Germany's vineyards are planted with it, which is slightly more than eleven percent of the total area. In the white-wine country of Germany, where almost 70 percent of the vineyards are planted with white varieties, this is not a bad quota.
The history of Pinot Noir in Germany goes back over a hundred years. But with the rationalisation of viticulture between the 1960s and 1990, the red variety mutated into the stepchild of German winegrowers. High-yielding clones, mash heating and ageing in stainless steel or GRP produced thin, light-coloured and inexpressive wines that quickly lost the reputation of German Pinot. Only the initiative of ambitious winemakers, inspired by the methods in Burgundy, brought German Pinot Noir back to the top. Today it enjoys a high reputation, especially in the Anglo-American world. And because German top Pinots are often in no way inferior to the competition from Burgundy, but are considerably more affordable, their popularity on the international wine stage has rarely been greater.
