Germany produces roughly 20% as much wine as that of France. Typically, Germans do not tend to drink much wine; this lack of interest is limiting to their wine industry. Generally, production focuses on white wines, although there are some quality reds. Rarely exported, there is little demand for German reds outside of Germany.

When selecting a German wine it is helpful to remember that the German term for dry is"trocken" and "halbtroken" means half-dry. Germany's global recognition for production of the sweet Riesling wine is on the increase. Although, these wines have a reputation for being too sweet, Germany does make some very dry versions of Riesling for exportation. Because German vineyards are so far north, it is difficult to get the grapes to ripen to a point where they contain a large quantity of sugar, so that the sweet wines these grapes produce are highly sought after.

The German government has a regulated system for ranking their wines.