What is "piesporter"

Piesporter is a wine made in and around the village of Piesport on the north bank of the Mosel wine region of Germany. A white, light body wine that ranges from dry to off-dry, it can be made from Riesling, Müller-Thurgau or Elbling grapes.

The wine often has a Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete [QbA] classification meaning that it was produced in accordance to regional appellation laws and has been tested for compliance by an official committee. In some cases a Piesporter may be chaptalized with sugar added to the juice before fermentation to increase the alcohol level. Chaptalization is more common in the “cheap” export Piesporters that are made from the Müller-Thurgau and Elbling varieties. The cheaper wines are often labelled as "Piesporter Michelsberg" - which means that the grapes are somewhere from the area, as opposed to the first class vineyards in Piesport itself ("Piesporter Goldtröpfchen" being the most famous one).

Despite the “bad rap” that Piesporters get from the inferior varieties that often flood the market, Piesporter wine and the village from which they originate have a long and unique history in producing outstanding German wine.