Sneak preview
VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS^® 2025
Wiesbaden

When great wines speak –
and the best in the business listen closely 

Each year, on the last weekend of August, the international who is who of the wine world gathers in Wiesbaden to taste, compare, and evaluate. What is examined there with such focus is associated with two letters that symbolize origin, quality, and ambition: ‘GG’. Together with the VDP’s iconic eagle, they represent wines of the highest classification awarded by the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP): VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®. 

But “GG” is more than just an abbreviation. It is a guarantee – for dry grand cru wines from Germany’s finest vineyards. Only sites that have proven over many years that they can uniquely and consistently express their origin may be classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®. 

The dry wines from these vineyards bear the name VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®. They embody not only grape variety and vintage but also the interplay of soil, climate, and craftsmanship in the most individual way. This is achieved only by vintners who combine experience, precision, and the determination to capture the very essence of these sites year after year.

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At the heart of the VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® is the vineyard. It must possess the potential to yield great wines. Crucial factors include geological homogeneity, microclimate, topography, proximity to forests or rivers, integration into the landscape – and not least, its visual presence. Over decades, even centuries, these sites have earned extraordinary reputations, grounded in historical records such as vineyard maps or writings, and supported by the recognition they enjoy among vintners and professionals. 

Thus, the assessments made at this tasting also feed into the ongoing reputation of vineyards classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®. Their uniqueness is ultimately revealed in the wines. Out of Germany’s 100,000 hectares of vineyards, VDP estates cultivate around 5,600 hectares – and GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines represent only 0.16% of total German wine production. This illustrates their rarity – and why they are coveted on the finest wine lists worldwide. 

Transforming grapes from these sites into internationally recognized wines requires more than terroir: it takes the perfect symbiosis of vintner and vineyard, an instinct refined over decades for what each site needs, which grape variety belongs there, and when intervention is required. Yield regulation and hand harvesting are standard practice. 

At the same time, the winegrowers of the VDP respond sensitively to the climatic conditions of each year. 2024 posed some challenges: due to sometimes devastating late frosts in spring and the warm, humid weather in late summer, not all grapes ripened evenly and in good health, which required a precise pre-selection to ensure that only the best fruit reached the press. These factors also mean that in the 2024 vintage, some GGs will be especially rare, and from certain sites there will be no bottlings at all. Even now, many experts view the 2024 vintage as an impressive result of this meticulous care – a year that is likely to present itself with elegance, freshness, and character, and secure its place in history. At the same time, it is an expression of what the VDP.members achieve year after year: they know their vineyards, understand what they need – and from them produce wines that set benchmarks worldwide. 

Yet there is another element that makes the GGs something truly exceptional. An element that is essential for great wines to find their calm – and for their aromas to first come together and unite. This element is time. It is through time that depth, structure, and complexity can unfold in a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®. White wines rest in the cellar for at least one year, sometimes even longer, before being bottled. Red wines are granted as much as two years of maturation. But even after bottling, their potential is far from exhausted: many GGs can continue to mature in the bottle for years, in some cases decades – gradually developing, transforming, and refining their aromatic spectrum. For many wine connoisseurs, this is precisely the special fascination: to experience how a great wine evolves over time. 

At the same time, GGs are subject to the strictest quality controls throughout the entire process. Before they may be released to the market as VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®, they must undergo and pass several sensory examinations. Only when their style and quality meet the high standards of the VDP are they granted approval – and allowed to reveal their true potential.

Once bottled and ready for market on September 1, the GGs undergo one final, eagerly awaited stage: the Vorpremiere VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®. From August 24–26, 2025, the VDP invites members of the international wine press, trade, and gastronomy to the colonnades of the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Here, under ideal conditions, they taste the new vintage – concentrated, comparative, and expertly guided. 

This ‘Sneak Preview’ is not just a highlight of the calendar but a cornerstone of the VDP’s quality culture. At this stage, the wines are still youthful and restrained. Only experienced tasters with deep vineyard knowledge can already perceive their potential, interpret their structure, and anticipate their evolution. To ensure ideal conditions, every bottle is pre-tasted, perfectly tempered, and poured in the sequence requested by each taster.

Due to the mild winter temperatures, vegetation began early, but a cold spell with late frost in April caused severe damage in some regions – particularly in vineyard sites close to rivers such as the Ahr, Saale, Nahe, Saar, and Ruwer. In some vineyards a successful secondary budding did occur, yet yields remained significantly reduced in many places. The year demanded the utmost vigilance in the vineyard, as the frost was followed by a warm, humid summer with high fungal pressure, requiring extensive manual work and careful selection. Many estates stretched their harvests over a long period because of the changeable weather and uneven ripening of the grapes. Beginning at the end of August, in some regions the harvest extended well into October, leaving many with the impression of an “endless autumn.” The winegrowers had to decide with precision exactly when to pick, in order to harvest only healthy, ripe grapes. Despite the challenges, the 2024 vintage is seen by many VDP.Estates as expressive, aromatic, and elegant – with fine acidity and a clear sense of origin. Yields are small, but the quality is promising – a vintage of great individuality and aging potential.