GERMANY’S RHEINGAU WINE REGION

 The Rheingau wine region: an introduction

The Rheingau is one of the most distinguished wine regions of the world, rich in tradition and history and the spiritual home and birthplace of Riesling, Germany’s most prolific and famous grape variety.  It is also widely regarded as Germany’s most ‘noble’ wine region,’ due to its long connection with centuries old aristocratic estates, such as Schloss Johannisberg, Schloss Schönborn and Schloss Vollrads as well as the Kloster Eberbach monastery, seen as the emblem of Germany’s wine history.

Today the Rheingau is one of Germany’s smaller wine regions and over 80% of vineyards are planted with Riesling.  Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) also grows well here, representing approximately 12% of vines planted.

In addition to being able to taste and experience some of the world’s top Riesling wines, by world-famous winemakers, every wine lover needs to visit the beautiful Rheingau, to explore its picturesque wine villages, sample the culinary specialities and enjoy the mighty and majestic River Rhine!

 Rheingau wines

In the heart of the Rheingau, spread out along the banks of the River Rhine are a handful of key wine villages, dedicated to their vineyards - and increasingly wine tourism -  with world-famous wineries producing top quality wines. These include, from west to east, Assmannshausen, Rüdesheim, Geisenheim (home of the world-renowned oenological research and teaching institute), Oestrich-Winkel, Hattenheim and Eltville.

Rheingau Riesling wines

With its southerly aspect, temperatures are fairly warm and there is enough annual rainfall to enable the Riesling grapes to ripen long into the autumn. Throughout the Rheingau there is a diverse range of Rieslings, influenced by soil type, proximity to the Rhine, and elevation. 

Typical Rheingau Riesling wines are very elegant, refined, rich and mineralic with a pronounced and fruity acidity.

Some 80% of Rheingau wines today are produced in a dry style and it is the Rheingau region which has led the way in Germany, responding to customer demand for food-friendly, lighter styles of wines. This movement was led in the Rheingau by Bernhard Breuer, who founded ‘Charta’ - a group of top-quality wine estates dedicated to styling Rheingau Riesling into medium-bodied, refreshingly crisp, dry, food-friendly wines.

The more traditional sweeter styles however are still very much respected and enjoyed here and a major proportion of Germany's best sweet Beerenauslese and Trockenbeernenauslese wines have been made in the Rheingau. Most of the best single vineyard dry Rieslings are denoted ‘Erstes Gewächs’, or first growth, the Rheingau’s own version of ‘Grosses Gewächs’. 

Rheingau Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)

In the west of the Rheingau, at Assmannshausen, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) dominates, specifically on the slopes of the south-facing Höllenberg (Hell Mountain!) dominating over the River Rhine. Historically this area produced the only internationally recognised and respected German red wine, but this has moved on and many excellent Pinot Noirs are being produced by top wineries across the Rheingau.

Places to visit and things to do and see in the Rheingau:

The Rheingau wine region, in the heart of Germany, is seen as the crown jewel of Germany’s wine tourism. Yes, it's about enjoying the wine and hospitality, but also from culture and tradition, to nature and sights, there’s something for everyone!

Getting to the Rheingau

The cities of Wiesbaden and Mainz are gateways to the Rheingau and the closet international airport is Frankfurt-am-Main. Allow 45 minutes by car to get from the airport to the centre of the Rheingau region.

Explore the beautiful Rheingau 

It isn’t called ‘The Romantic Rhine’ for nothing - the scenery in the Rheingau is just stunning - and for us, the best way to explore the villages, vineyards and castles of the Rheingau is by bike and boat! If you prefer to explore by car, follow the ‘Rheingauer Riesling Route’ which covers some 120km of beautiful Rheingau scenery. If you prefer hiking, then follow the ‘Rheingauer Riesling Pfad’ signs!

Cycle the River Rhine:

The cycle paths along the Rhine are well signed and maintained (as you would expect!) and it gives you the flexibility to just stop whenever and wherever to soak in the scenery, wander round the chocolate box villages or sample the wines at one of the main wine tasting stands along the river! There are also clearly signed cycle paths up into the vineyards which gives you a wonderful perspective of the region - follow the ‘Rheingauer Radwanderweg’

If you want to hire bikes locally, check out at one of the local tourist offices, who will be able to advise.  We can also recommend a cycle shop in Wiesbaden-Biebrich and in Oestrich-Winkel.

Rhine river cruise:

Take a leisurely trip up or down the Rhine by ship and just sit back and enjoy the views over the vineyards, the incredibly pretty villages and the many historic castles and ruins on each side of the river. Get on and off where you please and also enjoy the excellent facilities on the ships. See here for more information.

Rheingau wine towns and wine villages

All of the wine towns and villages are worth visiting, it all depends on how much time you have available and what you can squeeze in!

Visit the former Roman bathing resort Wiesbaden, today an elegant city and the state capital of Hesse - visit its beautiful Kurhaus.

No trip to Germany’s Rheingau can be complete without a visit to Rüdesheim am Rhein, but a word of caution, you won’t be alone! It gets incredibly busy here and parts have been spoiled by the inevitable impact of global tourism. However, try to spend some time in the world-famous Drosselgasse, a vibrant lane in the old quarter, with live music, shops and lots of places to eat and drink! Also visit the famous ‘Niederwald Denkmal’ - see below.

You can combine a visit to Rüdesheim with the nearby medieval town of Assmannshausen - if you plan on visiting Rheingau in May make sure you visit during the time of its annual red wine festival, ‘Assmannshausen in Rot’.

Also plan time to check out Rheingau’s biggest wine town, Oestrich-Winkel, the gothic wine villages of Kiedrich and Walluf and Eltville am Rhein, the town of wines, sparkling wines and roses!

Rheingau castles and monuments

Take time to explore the ancient castles for which Germany and the River Rhine is famous and its monuments - don’t miss visiting the famous Rüdesheim Niederwald monument high up on the top of the mountain overlooking Rüdesheim, the Rhine and for miles beyond! The view is stunning and you get to ride up through the vineyards in a  chair lift!

Traditions and festivals in the Rheingau - Rheingau wine festivals

It’s always a good idea to plan a visit to Rheingau to coincide with a local event or festival - and there are many to choose from, obviously many focused on wine where the local producers and wineries get to promote their latest vintages, but also food, music, literature festivals and much more, including the Christmas markets in December!

See here for some ideas, but we can personally recommend ‘Rheingau Wine Week’ in Wiesbaden (August), ‘Rhein in Flammen’ (Rhine in Flames - fireworks on the Rhine - July) and ‘Rheingau ‘Musik Festival’ (June-August). 

Traditional food in the Rheingau

Food and wine go together of course - so enjoy some of the regional specialties, including trout, artisan cheese, asparagus, potato salad and of course, always, German sausages! May/June is ‘white gold’ asparagus season - ‘Spargelzeit’ - delicious with butter and ham!

Where to stay in the Rheingau

See here for ideas on where to stay in the Rheingau region.

Planning your Rheingau wine tour:

Hopefully our suggestions have given you some insights for planning a wine tour of Germany’s Rheingau wine region - for further insights and inspiration see: Rheingau.com, Germany.travel