New German wine region announced west of Denmark

According to the German Wine Institute, the new 10 ha (hectare) wine area has been created in the Schleswig-Holstein region, on Sylt an island better known for its luxurious tourist resorts.

It becomes Germany's northernmost wine area.

'Until now vineyards in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern along the Elbe River [north-east Germany] counted as Germany's northernmost vineyards,' said a statement from the German Wine Institute (GWI).

According to GWI spokesman Frank Schultz, the vineyards on Sylt will mostly consist of the Müller-Thurgau variety.

The grapes will go into the local Schleswig-Holstein Landwein, an appellation similar to the French Vin de Pays. The first bottles will be released between 2011 and 2012.

'You cannot compare the quality of these vineyards [to the 13 official quality wine growing regions in Germany],' Schultz told decanter.com.

'It has less to do with global warming than with marketing - it is not a coincidence that authorisation to make wine was given to Sylt, [it] adds prestige to the island's reputation,' he said.