White Grapes
Grape Varieties
White Grapes
In 2019, white wine varieties (68,911 ha) accounted for exactly two thirds of the national vineyard area of 103,079 ha. Riesling remains Germany's most important grape variety, with a quarter of the vineyard total planted with it. Other white grape varieties, such as Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, are playing an increasing role. In our overview you can see a list of the white grape varieties.

Riesling
Of all the grapes of Germany, the most noble is the Riesling — a variety that can do well even in stony soil and can subsist on a minimum of moisture. read more

Müller-Thurgau (Rivaner)
The Müller-Thurgau, also commonly known as Rivaner, is the second most planted grape in Germany and accounts for 12% of the total vineyard area. read more

Silvaner
Silvaner is an old variety that once was the most important grape in Germany. read more

Kerner
Bred in 1969 in Württemberg and named after a local poet, Justinius Kerner, it is a crossing of Trollinger and Riesling. read more

Weißburgunder
This ancient variety, which is known as Pinot Blanc in France, grows in fertile or chalky soil and ripens quite late. read more

Grauburgunder
Altough the skin of the Grauburgunder grape is coloured reddish-grey, it is classified as a white wine variety. It is also commonly known as Pinot Gris in France and Pinot Grigio in Italy. read more

Chardonnay
Like many other ancient grape varieties, Chardonnay stems from the Middle East. read more

Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer is classified as a white variety but the skin of the grapes is yellow-reddish, which is why it is also commonly known as "roter" or "gelber" Traminer. read more

Sauvignon Blanc
This white grape variety originated in the southwest of France, where it was first mentioned in 1710. It has triumphed around the world in the past few decades read more

Gutedel
Known as Chasselas in France and Fendant in Switzerland, this ancient white variety is both a popular table grape and a wine grape. read more

Huxelrebe
Huxelrebe, a crossing of Gutedel and Courtillier Musqué, was bred by Georg Scheu in Rheinhessen in 1927. read more

Elbling
Elbling, an ancient white variety, is an early-ripening and very fruitful grape that makes light, piquant wines that often are used for sparkling wine. read more

Scheurebe
Scheurebe is a crossing of Riesling and the "Bukett grape" that is well established in several German wine regions. read more

Ortega
This crossing of Müller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe has been bred in 1948 by Hans Breider in Bavaria, who named it after the philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. read more

Bacchus
Bred in the Pfalz and named after the Latin term for Dionysos, "the Greek God of Wine", Bacchus is a crossing of (Silvaner x Riesling) x Müller-Thurgau. read more

Morio-Muskat
The name of this crossing of Silvaner and Weissburgunder derives from its breeder, Peter Morio, and its characteristically strong, rich bouquet that is reminiscent of Muscat grapes. read more

Faberrebe
The prolific Rheinhessen grape breeder Georg Scheu crossed Weissburgunder with Müller-Thurgau in 1929 to produce this early-ripening white variety. read more

Viognier
Viognier is mainly grown on the Rhône in France. The grape almost disappeared after the phylloxera crisis at the end of the 19th century and by 1968, only 14 hectares of vineyards were left in France. read more