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German wine for the Certified Sommelier exam

What Level 2 adds to Germany: villages and their famous vineyards by region, Classic and Selection, the VDP's Erste Lage and GG, VDP Sekt, and an eight-question quiz.

Alper Billik · Advanced Sommelier

Updated October 2026 · 5 min read · Edited with AI

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On this page
  1. Villages, vineyards and their Anbaugebiet
  2. The other regions, in one line each
  3. Classic and Selection
  4. The VDP structure
  5. VDP Sekt and the Sektsiegel
  6. Quiz: Germany for Certified
  7. Questions people ask

The short answer: for Germany, the Court's Certified syllabus adds three things to Level 1: place each principal village in the right Anbaugebiet, know the label terms Classic and Selection, and understand the VDP structure: Erste Lage, Grosse Lage, Grosses Gewächs. If the basics are shaky, start with Germany for Level 1, line by line.

Villages, vineyards and their Anbaugebiet

Learn each village with one famous vineyard. On the label the village takes -er, then the vineyard: *Wehlener Sonnenuhr* is the Sonnenuhr vineyard in Wehlen.

Mosel
VillagePiesport
Vineyard to knowGoldtröpfchen
Mosel
VillageBrauneberg
Vineyard to knowJuffer, Juffer-Sonnenuhr
Mosel
VillageBernkastel
Vineyard to knowDoctor
Mosel
VillageWehlen
Vineyard to knowSonnenuhr
Mosel
VillageÜrzig
Vineyard to knowWürzgarten (red slate, spicy wines)
Mosel
VillageErden
Vineyard to knowTreppchen, Prälat
Mosel (Saar)
VillageWiltingen
Vineyard to knowScharzhofberg
Rheingau
VillageRüdesheim
Vineyard to knowBerg Schlossberg
Rheingau
VillageAssmannshausen
Vineyard to knowHöllenberg (Spätburgunder)
Rheingau
VillageHattenheim
Vineyard to knowSteinberg (walled, beside Kloster Eberbach)
Rheingau
VillageErbach
Vineyard to knowMarcobrunn
Rheinhessen
VillageNierstein
Vineyard to knowPettenthal, Hipping (Roter Hang)
Rheinhessen
VillageWesthofen
Vineyard to knowMorstein
Pfalz
VillageForst
Vineyard to knowKirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, Pechstein
Nahe
VillageNiederhausen
Vineyard to knowHermannshöhle
Franken
VillageWürzburg
Vineyard to knowStein
  • Mosel Bereiche: six of them: Burg Cochem (the lower Mosel towards Koblenz), Bernkastel (the Middle Mosel, home of most famous sites), Ruwertal, Saar, Obermosel and Moseltor (the upper river towards Luxembourg and France).
  • Rheingau: one Bereich, Johannisberg. Here the Rhine flows east to west, so the slopes face south. Assmannshausen is the red-wine village.
  • Rheinhessen: Bingen, Nierstein and Wonnegau. The Roter Hang at Nierstein is a steep slope of red slate and sandstone above the Rhine.
  • Pfalz: Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse (Forst, Deidesheim, Wachenheim, Ruppertsberg) and Südliche Weinstrasse. The Haardt hills keep it dry and warm.

The other regions, in one line each

  • Ahr: small, northern, steep slate; known for red Spätburgunder (villages such as Walporzheim, Dernau, Mayschoss).
  • Nahe: very varied soils, including volcanic rock; precise Riesling.
  • Franken: Silvaner, often in the flat, round Bocksbeutel bottle.
  • Württemberg: mostly red: Trollinger (the Schiava of Alto Adige), Lemberger (Blaufränkisch). Schillerwein is a rosé-coloured wine made from red and white grapes together.
  • Baden: the warmest region; the Kaiserstuhl, an old volcano, is known for the Pinot family.

Classic and Selection

  • Classic: a dry-tasting quality wine from grapes typical of the region. Residual sugar is at most 15 g/l and no more than twice the acidity; at least 11.5% alcohol. The label may name one grape and the vintage, but no taste word such as trocken.
  • Selection: a stricter, dry category for wines from a named single vineyard. It was created alongside Classic as a premium tier and is rarely seen on labels today.

The VDP structure

Grosse Lage
LikeGrand cru
What to rememberThe top sites. The dry wine is a Grosses Gewächs (GG); sweeter wines carry a Prädikat
Erste Lage
LikePremier cru
What to rememberFirst-class sites; on the label as Erste Lage
Ortswein
LikeVillage
What to rememberWine from a village's good sites
Gutswein
LikeRegional
What to rememberThe estate's entry wine

A GG is always dry. A Kabinett or Spätlese from the same Grosse Lage keeps its Prädikat name and is usually not dry. The 2021 German wine law adopted the same idea of an origin pyramid. More in Erste Lage, which compares Germany and Austria, and in German wine terms.

VDP Sekt and the Sektsiegel

In 2020 the VDP added rules for sparkling wine, the VDP.SEKT.STATUT. A Sekt that meets them can carry the VDP's seal. The headline rules, from the VDP's own page:

  • Traditional bottle fermentation for every VDP Sekt.
  • VDP.SEKT: at least 15 months on the lees; 24 months for a vintage Sekt.
  • VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE: at least 36 months on the lees.
  • Grapes from the estate's own vineyards, picked by hand. Each region sets the permitted varieties, typically Riesling and the Pinot family.

For Certified, it is enough to know that Germany's top estates now classify Sekt too. The detailed regulations are on the Master Sommelier Diploma syllabus. Sparkling wine across the world: the sparkling quiz.

Quiz: Germany for Certified

Certified practice test

Take it as a real test

8 questions, one at a time. The answer and why after each one, then your score and your weakest topics.

Question 1

In which Anbaugebiet is the Scharzhofberg?

  1. a)Rheingau
  2. b)Mosel (Saar)
  3. c)Nahe
  4. d)Pfalz
Show answer

b) Mosel (Saar). The Scharzhofberg is at Wiltingen on the Saar, part of the Mosel Anbaugebiet.

Question 2

Assmannshausen in the Rheingau is best known for which wine?

  1. a)Sweet Riesling
  2. b)Silvaner
  3. c)Spätburgunder
  4. d)Sekt
Show answer

c) Spätburgunder. Assmannshausen, with its Höllenberg vineyard, is the Rheingau's red-wine village.

Question 3

Which village is home to the Goldtröpfchen vineyard?

  1. a)Piesport
  2. b)Forst
  3. c)Nierstein
  4. d)Rüdesheim
Show answer

a) Piesport. Piesporter Goldtröpfchen is one of the Middle Mosel's best-known sites.

Question 4

The Roter Hang is a famous slope in which region?

  1. a)Pfalz
  2. b)Rheinhessen
  3. c)Baden
  4. d)Württemberg
Show answer

b) Rheinhessen. The Roter Hang (red slope) is at Nierstein and Nackenheim in Rheinhessen.

Question 5

What is the maximum residual sugar for a German Classic wine?

  1. a)4 g/l
  2. b)9 g/l
  3. c)15 g/l
  4. d)45 g/l
Show answer

c) 15 g/l. Classic allows up to 15 g/l, and no more than twice the acidity.

Question 6

A VDP Grosses Gewächs (GG) is:

  1. a)A sweet wine from a top site
  2. b)A dry wine from a Grosse Lage
  3. c)A village wine
  4. d)A sparkling wine
Show answer

b) A dry wine from a Grosse Lage. GG is the dry wine from a VDP.Grosse Lage.

Question 7

Under the VDP Sekt rules, how long must a VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE stay on its lees at least?

  1. a)9 months
  2. b)15 months
  3. c)24 months
  4. d)36 months
Show answer

d) 36 months. Prestige needs at least 36 months; the basic VDP.SEKT needs 15 (24 for a vintage).

Question 8

Trollinger, typical of Württemberg, is known in Alto Adige as:

  1. a)Lagrein
  2. b)Schiava
  3. c)Teroldego
  4. d)Marzemino
Show answer

b) Schiava. Trollinger and Schiava (Vernatsch) are the same grape.

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Questions people ask

What German topics are on the Certified Sommelier exam?

The Court's syllabus lists three for Certified: the location of principal villages in their Anbaugebiet, the label terms Classic and Selection, and the VDP structure (Erste Lage, Grosses Gewächs). Level 1 topics are assumed.

Is GG the same as Grosse Lage?

Not quite. Grosse Lage is the vineyard level; Grosses Gewächs is the name of the dry wine from a Grosse Lage.

Can a Classic wine say trocken on the label?

No. Classic wines may name one grape and the vintage, but not a taste indication.

What is the VDP Sektsiegel?

The seal of the VDP's sparkling-wine rules: traditional bottle fermentation, hand harvest, estate grapes, and at least 15 months on the lees (36 for Prestige).

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