Corney & Barrow 

Germany produces some of the world’s very finest white wines, presenting natural, grapey richness complemented by racy acidity. A really fine example sets off a roller coaster of emotion akin to a skilfully played piece of music. Riesling is king here, offering almost painful purity and precision.
Vineyards run the gauntlet of a very marginal climate, at the absolute limit of where grapes will ripen. This is both a constant threat and a magnificent opportunity as vine and man both struggle to balance two essential but dangerous elements in fine wine – acidity and sugar. We need acidity for freshness. Similarly, sugar has rather fallen from favour yet, here, in the best wines, the sweetness is grape ripeness, not sugar per se . Added sugar is indeed one of the problems further down the quality ladder. When ripeness and acidity come together harmoniously, the results can be electric.

Photo: Vineyards at Weingut Joh Jos Prüm, Mosel