See what we discovered exploring Germany’s north-east Rheinhessen wine region in 3 days by e-bike! 

You may know by now that we love exploring wine growing regions on our e-bikes and if great friends are able to join us, even better! We decided to explore a part of the largest wine region in Germany - Rheinhessen - by e-bike, to explore the different landscapes, see some top German vineyards, visit some wineries and discover some Rheinhessen wines including some of the best German wine! Oh and we also wanted to experience some local culture and traditions along the way!

Read on to see where we went and what we discovered on our 3-day German wine tour by e bike!

The north-east part of the Rheinhessen wine region

Rheinhessen is a huge and very varied wine region in Germany, with most of the vineyards spread across 3 core areas; the extreme north around the towns of Bingen and Ingelheim; an area called ‘Rheinterrasse’ south of Mainz, hugging the left bank of the River Rhine and in the south-west in a regions called Wonnegau. 

We were starting and ending our trip across the Rhine from Rheinhessen in the city of Wiesbaden, so for this 3-day e bike wine tour we were keen to explore the vineyards around Ingelheim in the north and along the banks of the Rhine in the east, the Rheinterrasse. The southern region of Rheinhessen would need to wait for another day!

The vineyards around Ingelheim:

Vineyards around the town of Ingelheim produce a variety of different Rheinhessen wines, but there is a strong tradition for red wine, notably Pinot noir - or German Spätburgunder. In fact Ingelheim is known as the ‘red wine city’.

The Rheinterrasse

Some truly excellent wines are produced along the ‘Rheinterrasse’. This wine region is most associated with Rheinhessen’s reputation for quality wines, between and around the popular wine towns of Nackenheim and Nierstein. 

See here for more information about the Rheinhessen wine region and Rheinhessen wines - and here to explore northern Rheinhessen on a 1 day guided tour.

Our e bike Rheinhessen wine tour route 

Our planned route would take us from Wiesbaden along the Rhine, down to the popular wine town of Nierstein, through the Rheinterrasse region and the famous Roter Hang vineyards. From Nierstein we planned to continue west, away from the Rhine and into the beautiful Seltztal (the Seltz Valley) - and the vineyards south of Ingelheim. 

We planned to continue through the Seltztal, via Nieder-Olm and the wine villages of Schwabenheim and Stadecken-Elsheim, up to Ingelheim, where we would cross the river, into Germany’s Rheingau wine region and along the Rhine, back to Wiesbaden.  

Bike paths in Germany - Rheinhessen

Cycling in Germany is easy and fun! There are lots of different bike paths to explore and from our experience they are easy to follow and rarely take you on busy roads. Cycling in Rheinhessen is no different!

In Rheinhessen, there are over 500 km of well-signposted cycle paths and 90 km of River Rhine bike path, which stretches from Worms in the south of Rheinhessen, via the historic city of Mainz, to Bingen. 

Our tour incorporated 4 different bike paths in the Rheinhessen wine region:

• The Rhine bike path (or ‘Rheinradweg’) from Mainz, south as far as Nierstein;

• The last section of this path also includes part of the ‘Rheinterrassenroute’;

• From Nierstein we joined the ‘Amiche route’ - a circular bike path starting and finishing in Bodenheim;

• The ‘Seltztal Radweg’, tracking the lovely river Seltz, north from Friesenheim up to Ingelheim - the Seltztal bike path is 68 km in total and we cycled half of it during our wine tour.   

Preparing for our e-bike tour

It’s a good idea to be well-prepared for any e-bike tour - especially for a multi-day tour! We had our own e-bikes with us, but you can hire e-bikes - see here for information. 

What to take with you on an e-bike tour

We carried our puncture repair kits, air pumps, locks and of course the battery chargers in our bike panniers. It’s good to be aware in advance of bike service stations and also charging stations - see here. Most hotels and guest-houses will be able to accommodate bikes overnight, remember your adaptors for non-European battery chargers if you take your own and ensure you carry good locks to keep your bike secure.

We would always advise to wear a safety helmet, good sports sunglasses are also advisable and of course lots of water and sunscreen!

In terms of panniers, we have invested in Ortlieb bike panniers - they are roomy, waterproof, easy to attach/detach to a bike rack, easy to carry and basically, very much worth the investment.  

Read here about another e-bike wine tour, this time in Germany’s Rheingau wine region!

Our Rheinhessen e-bike wine tour - day 1 

So once we had prepared our bikes we set off from Wiesbaden, cycling on the Rhine river path, past the historic city of Mainz and its iconic cathedral - or Dom - on the opposite side of the river.  After Mainz, we crossed over to the left bank and into Rheinhessen. 

Roter Hang Nierstein

After an hour or  so cycling along the river we passed through the wine village of Nackenheim and entered perhaps the most famous stretch of vineyard on  the ‘Rheinterrasse’ - or the ‘Rheinfront’ as it’s also known - the ‘Roter Hang’. 

The steep, south-sloping slopes of the Roter Hang and the distinctively red soils, said to be over 200 million years old, help create a unique terroir and micro-climate here, which produces some of Germany’s best wines, especially spicy, fruity German Rieslings. 

Cycling through here was really special - not only were we cycling through some very famous vineyards, the scenery was spectacular.

As we progressed towards Nierstein we cycled through more famous vineyards, Nierstein’s Pettenthal and Hipping vineyards, which again, produce some of Germany’s finest wines.

Visit to Weingut St. Anthony

Weingut St. Anthony is one of several wineries in this part of Rheinhessen making outstanding German wines from classified vineyards and the finest parcels of Nierstein’s Pettenthal and Hipping vineyards and the Roter Hang.

Dating back to 1920 and family-owned since 2005, St. Anthony wines are certified organic and biodynamic (since 2018). Of approximately 60 hectares of vines, 15 hectares comprise vines planted on very steep slopes. All vines on these steep slopes are harvested by hand.

St.Anthony produces mainly Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc wines along with some Pinot noir and Blaufränkisch red wines.

We enjoyed an excellent wine tasting here before cycling onto our hotel for the night.

Overnight stop in Nierstein 

Nierstein am Rhein is known for its world-famous German Rieslings and its wonderful red soils, but it’s also a wonderfully charming wine town, with a lovely market square, rustic buildings and half-timbered houses.

Our overnight accommodation in Nierstein was the Rhein-Hotel, right on the banks of the Rhine and in the centre of the town, just a short walk into the market square.

What made this a really wonderful experience for us, was the fact we had arrived in the middle of Nierstein annual wine festival, so it provided an excellent opportunity to relax after the day’s exertions and to enjoy some local culture!

What an end to a fabulous day! 

Our Rheinhessen e-bike wine tour - day 2

After a good rest (despite the heat) and a good breakfast we picked up the bike path and headed west towards Friesenheim, cycling across the beautiful rolling hills and valleys - remember Rheinhessen is known as the region of a 1000 hills! Our first stop this morning was at Weingut Lorenz in Friesenheim.

Visit to Weingut Lorenz

Weingut Lorenz produces some excellent Rheinhessen wines. Winemakers, Wendelin and Johannes Lorenz believe passionately in organic farming and leaving the soils and vines in a better place for future generations. 

Lorenz produces a wide range of wines and wine styles and after a fun tasting we set off on our way! You can arrange a visit and wine tasting at Lorenz by contacting in advance.

After our visit to Weingut Lorenz we joined the ‘Seltztal Radweg’ and headed north towards Nieder-Olm, following the lovely Seltz river valley. After a wonderful afternoon’s cycle ride we arrived at our next stop, Weingut Beck in the village of Stadecken-Elsheim.

Visit to Weingut Beck - Hedesheimer Hor

Weingut Beck Hedesheimer Hof  is located in the lovely farming village of Stadecken-Elsheim, nestled amongst the rolling hills of Rheinhessen. Our relationship with the Beck family goes back many years when we used to import their wonderful wines.

The family, led by Michael Beck, is passionate about Rheinhessen and about producing top quality Rheinhessen wines from its vineyards. The vineyards are planted with primarily Riesling and the Burgundy family of white and red grape varieties. Weingut Beck is known for both its white and red wines, but also for their Sekts - German sparkling wine - made by the champagne method.   

As importers of Weingut Beck wines, our customers were always delighted with their wines, both for their quality and ‘value for money’. Now, when we arrange wine tours to Weingut Beck, customers always depart having really enjoyed the experience! The wine tastings are always excellent, but so is the hospitality and the welcome. Enjoy drinks in the wine garden in the summer months, as well as tractor rides and hikes in the vineyards with a picnic! 

Weingut Beck also offers guest accommodation in the form of 2 double rooms and an apartment. We have enjoyed a stay here and can highly recommend it!

Overnight stop in Schwabenheim

Following our visit to Weingut Beck we cycled (downhill!) on to the nearby wine village of Schwabenheim and our accommodation in Hotel Pfaffenhofen, a 3 star hotel and restaurant. This proved to be a very rural and relaxing location and the perfect stop for the weary bike and wine tourist to rest and recover!

We walked to nearby Landgasthof Engel for dinner, a lovely country guest house and restaurant, serving traditional, rustic food in a lovely historic setting. Sitting outside in the lovely courtyard, enjoying some local wines and traditional food made for a wonderful evening!

Our Rheinhessen e-bike wine tour - day 3

The following morning, we set off in the morning, continuing on the Seltztal Radweg’ in the direction of Ingelheim am Rhein. We travelled through some stunning countryside and enjoyed this beautiful German wine region of fertile farmland, vineyards and rolling hills, known affectionately as Germany’s Tuscany!

Reaching Ingelheim we headed straight for the ferry across the Rhine where we crossed back into Germany’s Rheingau region. The rest of the day was spent in the Rheingau, enjoying some wine tasting, another village wine festival then back to Wiesbaden and out to dinner. A fabulous end to a fabulous 3 days in the saddle exploring this lovely north-eastern section of Germany’s Rheinhessen wine region.

Conclusion - our personal highlights

Great food, wine, hospitality, scenery, culture, weather, exercise and company!! We love an e bike wine tour and our whistle-stop wine tour of Rheinhessen didn’t disappoint! Such a superb way to explore Germany’s Rheinhessen. Germany is set up for cycling - we can only encourage you to give it a go!

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