Non-VDP Riesling – entry-level & premium trocken

See the complete guide to all our coverage of Germany's exciting 2011s.

Every year, the great and good descend upon Mainz for the spring tasting of wines made by the elite of German producers, the VDP. It’s a unique and valuable opportunity for trade and press to taste a huge cross-section sample of the new vintage. The thousand-plus infant wines are reviewed amid much shoulder rubbing and starry names while the rest of Germany gets on with life. The reviews make for a telling profile of the quality of the vintage, but they don’t tell the whole story.