A wine guide does not just show which wines impress its editorial team. It also decides which wineries come into view in the first place. Those featured in the book gain a place on readers’ mental map. Those left out initially remain invisible there – for reasons that a score alone could not explain.
The VINUM Weinguide Deutschland 2027, published on 3 November 2026, provides a timely occasion to consider this. According to the publisher, more than 10,000 wines were tasted and new profiles written for around a thousand wineries. That is an extensive selection. It is not a complete directory of German wine production.
Selection begins before the first glass
VINUM describes access as an invitation process: in spring, the editorial team invites candidates to take part. Interested producers can get in touch via a central contact address; their enquiry is forwarded to the editorial team. There is therefore a way for wineries to draw attention to themselves. This does not imply any entitlement to inclusion.
Under its published principles, VINUM charges no tasting fees; according to the publisher, inclusion is also free of charge. Producers are asked to submit a representative selection, from entry-level wine to the finest wine of the vintage. The absence of fees thus removes one potential financial barrier to entry. Selecting bottles, compiling information and sending a parcel nevertheless remain work for the winery.
The crucial distinction is between access and judgement: first a producer must be considered, then its wines must be on the tasting table. The subsequent assessment can cover only what actually reaches the tasting.
Blind tasting is not the same as comprehensive coverage
According to VINUM, the process consists of several stages. Wines are initially tasted openly, with their identities known. In regional final rounds, wines above a certain score are then tasted blind; national final tastings serve to compare the leading wines. The guide therefore does not work exclusively with blind tastings.
The two approaches serve different purposes: open tasting is intended to put a producer’s development into context, while blind tasting allows comparison without the name being visible. Yet even a blind tasting does not explain why another winery was never invited or did not send a selection. Fairness of assessment and breadth of selection are two separate questions.
Small estates, big question marks
For 2027, VINUM states that quality is the deciding factor, not the size of the business or its marketing budget. That is the editorial benchmark. However, the published information does not establish whether small family businesses, larger estates and co-operatives appear in proportion to their respective prevalence. That would require comparative figures on invitations, submissions and inclusions by business size and type.
The presentation would also need to be examined: an entry alone says nothing about the length of the text, highlighted wines or additional attention generated by an award. The mere number of profiles therefore cannot establish equality of opportunity. Nor does it demonstrate that small producers are disadvantaged.
Visibility is also a producer’s choice
Wineries’ own publications show how differently they approach this public exposure. In December 2025, the Franconian Weingut Schäffer reported on its website that its wines had been favourably received in the VINUM Weinguide 2026. The assessment thus becomes part of its own communications.
By contrast, Ingelheim’s Wein- und Sektgut Menk emphasised its distance from wine guides in its May 2024 price list and pointed to its participation in the Landesweinprämierung Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate regional wine awards). This documents a different attitude towards assessment, but neither a rejection by VINUM nor its status in the 2027 edition.
The most important rule for readers therefore remains simple: the absence of an entry is not a sound judgement of quality. A wine guide offers guidance within its selection. How that selection comes about is as much a part of the book’s authority as the scores in its profiles.
Original reviewed by the editors · 5 November 2026
