They Say It Takes 30 Days to Acquire a New Habit. So Embrace the Path to Self-Improvement this July, with "The 31 Days of German Riesling," a Celebration of Germany's Most Famous Wine Varietal

NEW YORK, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wines of Germany has once again proclaimed July as "The 31 Days of German Riesling." Restaurants and retailers nationwide will devote the entire month of July to Germany's most famous varietal as part of Wines of Germany's participation in the "Summer of Riesling" for 2012.

For the second year in a row, Wines of Germany has partnered with Paul Grieco and his team at Terroir wine bars and Hearth restaurant in New York City for this promotion. Over 500 restaurants and retailers will participate in the "Summer of Riesling" program nationwide, and each of them will dedicate July to all things German Riesling.

During the month, participating restaurants will promote at least two German Rieslings with offers such as by-the-glass specials, flights, and food and wine pairings. Retailers will offer in-store tastings and discounts on bottles of the beloved beverage. 

Wines of Germany provides participating restaurants and retailers with marketing collateral such as German Riesling-themed informational post cards, bottle tags, t-shirts, temporary tattoos, buttons, and stickers galore for customers.

The website, www.31DaysGermanRiesling.com, provides a full list of participating restaurants and retailers across the country. Leading participants include restaurants such as Jardiniere, RN74, and The French Laundry in San Francisco; Daniel, Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern in New York City; Craft and Wirtshaus in Los Angeles; Sepia and Telegraph Wine Bar in Chicago and House Wine and Uchiko in Austin, Texas.

To add to the celebration, the German Wine Queen will visit New York from July 23-27. This year's Queen, Annika Strebel of Rheinhessen, was chosen from amongst the 13 regional wine queens of Germany for her wine knowledge, sparkling wit and overall demeanor. During her visit to the U.S., Strebel will attend wine tastings at New York retailers and host the Summer of Riesling Concert and Boast Cruise on July 24 in New York Harbor.

Throughout July, the Summer of Riesling and Wines of Germany Facebook and Twitter pages will be devoted to highlighting different facets of German Riesling- Riesling 101, Classifications, Styles & Approaches, History and Tourism.

If you're still not convinced as to the importance of celebrating German Riesling, here are some additional reasons:

• Germany grows 60% of the world's Riesling supply - more than 50,000 acres of vines!
• Close to 2/3 of the entire Riesling production in Germany is dry.
• German Riesling is widely considered to be the most food compatible white wine in the world.
• Riesling is argued to be the varietal that best expresses terroir - or the soil the vines are grown in.

So raise a glass to "The 31 Days of German Riesling" - a new habit you'll never want to break!

About Wines of Germany
Wines of Germany is the exclusive U.S. office of the Deutsches Weininstitut.  Wines of Germany is focused on creating greater awareness to further enhance the image and increase sales of German wine in the U.S. through educational and promotional activities.  It is the primary information source on wines deriving from the 13 German wine growing regions for members of the wine trade, the media, and U.S. consumers.  The promotional and educational efforts of Wines of Germany focus primarily on Riesling and Pinot Noir, the most famous German grape varieties. For more information, visit www.germanwineusa.com.

CONTACT: Megan McMonagle, +1-212-994-7523, [email protected]

SOURCE Wines of Germany