Literature

• Stephen Brooke (Mitchell Beazley, 2003): Wines of Germany . I have not had a chance to look at it, but it is likely to be the most up to date and comprehensive book on the subject available in English.

• Gault Millau (Heyne, annunal): Wein Guide Deutschland. Armin Diel and Joel Payne rate producers and a selection of their current wines. Diel is an important producer in the Nahe region, and the president of the local VdP chapter. Payne works for Schlumberger in the wine business. Suspicions of lack of independence and conflicts of interest are inevitable therefore. To quote another famous wine critic: "hmm". Still, the book has some useful information.
  A. Diel and J. Payne (Abbe Ville Press, 1999) German Wine Guide The English translation of the Gault Millau 1999.

• Ian Jamieson (Faber and Faber, 1991): German Wines. A comprehensive but outdated account, including historical and economical aspects, but no reviews of particular wines, and only very short notes on producers. Probably out of print.

• Hugh Johnson (Mitchell Beazley, annual): The Pocket Wine Guide. A very useful book, with a good, up to date section on Germany. Information on varieties, labels, regions, villages and their vineyards, producers, and vintages. The German section seems to reflect very much the views of the advisor Stuart Pigott. The producer star-ratings I find strange in certain cases. Do the different informants and Johnson himself apply them consistently?

• Cornelius und Fabian Lange (Hallwag, 2000): Keine Angst vor Wein! It's in German, and not specifically on German Wine, but a general introduction. So why do I list it here? Beause it is dead funny, and full of truths that you will not find in the average wine book. If this doesn't open your eyes, I don't know what will. With a list of recommended, mostly German, producers.

• Stuart Pigott (Hugh Johnson ed., Mitchell Beazley (GB), 1995): The Wine Atlas of Germany. A much needed follow up to Hugh Johnsons original German Wine Atlas. Currently, this is the best book on German wine in English (available in German too), with excellent up to date information on regions, producers, and wines. Includes an influential proposal for vineyard a classification. (Published in the US by Antique Collectors Club, 1996)

• Stuart Pigott (Hugh Johnson ed., Antique Collectors Club, 1997): The Mosel & Rheingau. More or less the above Atlas slimmed down to the MSR and Rheingau. In Paperback. Good if you're just interested in the two most famous regions and want to save money.

• Stuart Pigott (Econ, 1993): Die Grossen Deutschen Rieslingweine. A great book, with detailed descriptions of the top 100 Riesling producers in Germany, and some of their wines (up to '92). Opinionated, influential, and controversial. Available only in German.

• Stuart Pigott (Econ, 1997): Die führenden Winzer und Spitzenweine Deutschlands. The follow up to the above book covers not just Riesling producers, but concentrates on a relatively small number of top growers regardless of their preferred varieties. Wines are reviewed and rated mainly from the '93 to the '96 vintage. The style of the comments is quite personal, which invites controversy (and in some cases ridicule). Personally, I don't mind subjective notes, but a bit more information would seem desirable from time to time.

• Stuart Pigott (Penguin, 1991): Riesling. An overview over the worlds Riesling regions, with descriptions of producers. Out of print.

• Jancis Robinson ed. (Oxford UP, 2nd ed. 1999): The Oxford Companion to Wine. Contains relatively academic accounts of the major topics in German wine, along with the rest of the world. Most of the German sections are written by Ian Jamieson.