The central pillar of Germany's wine producing industry is undoubtedly the Riesling grape, which flourishes in this relatively cool climate. This grape variety shows itself capable of producing some of the world's liveliest, most structured and racy whites, and has an amazing ability to age excellently.
The Riesling grape is very distinctive, and it is one of the best grapes for the expression of terroir, meaning that the resulting wine can be hugely different depending on where the grapes were grown.