Exploring Wine Districts of Germany

Germany is home to several wine regions that take pride in their astounding scenic beauty and offering finest food. The wine regions in the country are among the best tourist attractions. Take flights to Frankfurt today to visit some of these fascinating regions, which are easily accessible from the city mostly concentrated within an hour or two of the Greater Frankfurt metropolitan area. These regions are quite close to Würzburg, Stuttgart, Heidelberg and Cologne.

The vineyards in the country can be best visited during late April till end of summer, and just after the harvest in autumn. Your visit will however depend on the weather conditions. These are also the best time to visit the country with hundreds of open-air wine festivals taking place. The Winzerfest or Weinfest, as they are popularly called, provide the perfect reasons to visit Germany to taste the wines, enjoy local taste treats, socialize with people, and enjoy music and dance. A parade led by the reigning wine queen, stunning fireworks displays and umpteen culinary events organized at local restaurants are among major highlights of the wine festivals.

Here are some of the famous as well as less-frequented wine regions in Germany that are ready to attract the tourists. These wine regions include Saale-Unstrut, Ahr, Nahe, Rheinhessen, Hessische Bergstrasse, Württemberg, Pfalz, Franken, Sachsen, Baden, Mittelrhein, Rheingau and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Let us explore some of these wine regions to get a better insight and make your trip to Germany quite enjoyable.

Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen is situated between Worms and Mainz on the west bank of River Rhine. It is the largest wine region in Germany in terms of area and is second only to the Pfalz in terms of wine production. The famous sweet Liebfrauenmilch wine was developed in Rheinhessen. It is a great hit in America and Britain. The Liebfrauenmilch wine originally came from the vineyards in Worms around the Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche). The Kellerwegfest in Güntersblum is the famous Rheinhessen festival. The event is held through the vineyards in the area extending to a mile. Ancient wine cellars carved out of the hills are lined up for the occasion. Most of the cellars are turned into taverns ringing with laughter and music.

Pfalz
The Pfalz region is known for producing more wine than any other wine region in Germany. This region is also the warmest in the country. The vineyards here don’t require the shelter of river valleys. A few select Mediterranean fruits like lemons and figs are also grown here. It was in Pfalz that the first “German Wine Road” came into existence. You will find many more German Wine Roads in the country today. Neustadt is one of the cities along the Wine Road, where a wine festival is held and the German Wine Queen is crowned every year. The wine festival in Neustadt is held in October every year.

Baden
The Baden wine region is spread in a vast area comprising the shores of Lake Constance, a part of the Neckar River, a Rhine tributary, and the upper Rhine, extending from the Swiss border to about Mannheim. The Black Forest, Baden-Baden and Heidelberg are some of the popular attractions where some interesting wines are worth trying out. The fiery red wine from the volcanic Kaiserstuhl region is perhaps the most noted Baden vintage. The wine museum at Achkarren village, near the Kaiserstuhl is a must visit. A wine festival is also held in Baden in September each year.

Mittelrhein
With its vineyard-covered slopes topped by castles and peaceful, half-timbered towns, Mittelrhein – the storied part of the Rhine – is simply amazing. It starts from the borders of Rheingau and extends till Bonn. The tantalizing white wines produced here are mostly consumed by the locals. However, you can also enjoy the white wines while visiting one of the wine festivals. Consider visiting here in October when the beautiful town of Bacharach hosts a festival named after the wine god Baccus.

Franken
The wine region of Franken is spread along the Main River to the east and west of Würzburg. The wine produced at Franken is renowned for the exclusive use of the round, squat bocksbeutel bottle. The wine region is famous for producing the dry, earthy "Steinwein”, which comes from a popular old vineyard in Würzburg. If you are visiting Germany on a wine tour in July, you will be able to enjoy the famous wine Steinwein at the Weinfest am Stein wine festival held in July in Würzburg.