Did you know that Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world?Or that one in three Riesling vines in the world grow in German vineyards - and much of these are making dry, increasingly terroir-driven wines these days?There's much that's surprising, or perhaps unexpected about German wine right now.For long the sector under-performed - but a series of changes since the late 1980s (a process that's still ongoing, accelerated by climate change) has re-invigorated German wine, redefining its possibilities and forging a bright new future.There's even talk of the wines being, 'sexy' and of, 'pulling power'...All of which, plus the fact we're just back from Germany (and have had an intriguing listener question in), is the perfect excuse to explore German wine.We hear from Master of Wine and German specialist Alison Flemming plus Stefan Doktor, MD of the world-famous Schloss Johannisberg. Along the way we talk terroir, global warming, food matching, GG and the rise of dry Riesling, why 'succulent' is such a good tasting term, PIWIs, and why a swimming pool was important for a 1964 Auslese...Our thanks to Wines of Germany for sponsoring this episode and helping source some fantastic bottles for us to try and recommend. They are:

• Frey Pinot Blanc 2021, Rheinhessen
• Maximin Grunhaus Maximin Pinot Blanc 2021, Mosel
• Klein Riesling S Trocken 2021, Pfalz
• Robert Weil Kiedrich Turmberg Riesling Trocken 2021, Rheingau
• Pauly Lieser Niederberg Helden Kabinett 2021, Mosel
• Shelter Winery Spätburgunder 2020, Baden

We love to hear from you so please do get in touch! Send us a voice message via Speakpipe or you can find more details to get in touch on our website (link below).All details from this episode are on our website: Show notes for Wine Blast S4 E23: Germany's Pulling Power.Thanks for tuning in. Here's to the joy of wine - cheers to you!