Chechnya, Tatarstan, the Swedish minority in Finland and German-speakers in Italy have been touted as models.

ECONOMIST: Kosovo

Still, Costas Simitis of Greece, the host at the summit, and Turkey's Mesut Yilmaz, both German-speakers, got on well.

ECONOMIST: Greece and Turkey

On the contrary, says Mr Ibrahimi, Albanians can be spread between several countries, just as German-speakers are split between Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

ECONOMIST: Macedonia

Mr Blocher was cheered by a crowd of middle-aged mainly German-speakers, stressing the support his People's Party enjoys in eastern Switzerland, particularly in the smaller, tradition-minded cantons.

ECONOMIST: Switzerland

My selections ranged primarily from 7% to 12% alcohol numbers that non-German speakers would do well to note, as they are a fairly reliable way of telling if the wine will be dry or not.

WSJ: Demystifying German Riesling White Wines | On Wine by Lettie Teague