Famous vineyard sites

One of the year’s earliest wine festivals in Germany celebrates both wine and the blossoming of Mandel (almond) trees – a harbinger of spring and the start of a new growing season. The Mandelblütenfest takes place in Gimmeldingen, midway along the German Wine Road. read more 

Sensuous wines of quintessential elegance from Forst. Springtime comes early to the Pfalz and wine festivals are celebrated here when the almond trees blossom in early April. North on the Deutsche Weinstraße lies a quartet of wine villages boasting many Grand Cru vineyard sites... read more

Although the Rheingau is best known for its Riesling wines, Spätburgunder has also been cultivated here for centuries, particularly in the red wine enclave Assmannshausen, downstream from Rüdesheim, where the Rhine makes a sweeping bend and resumes its south-north course. read more

The Bergstraße, (literally, mountain road) is an old Roman trade route parallel to the Rhine, skirting the foothills of the Odenwald between Darmstadt and Wiesloch. The hilly vineyards lining the route belong to both the Hessische Bergstraße (northern stretch) and Baden (southern) wine-growing regions. read more

Stuttgart lies in a basin surrounded by vine-clad and forested slopes on three sides and the Neckar River to the north. The city’s name literally means “stud farm or garden”.  read more

The Bodensee (Lake Constance) forms a border between Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Some 30 km northwest of the lake lies the Hegau district of Germany, home of a chain of extinct volcanoes, the highest of which is Hohentwiel. read more

The western fringe of Germany's largest wine-growing region, takes in the steep hillsides and forested summits of "Rheinhessen's Switzerland" - a little-known circle of wine villages fanning out south of Wöllstein. read more

This famous vineyard site is located in the heart of the Pfalz wine-growing region, in Königsbach, a wine village north of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. read more

This famous vineyard site is located in the heart of the Nahe wine-growing region, in Wallhausen, a thousand-year-old wine village situated in the Gräfenbach Valley. read more

Viticulture in the Saar River Valley dates from Roman times. The top sites are extremely steep; consist primarily of stony, weathered slate; and are planted with Riesling grapes.  read more

Rotenberg is a little known and very small, but special, vineyard site in the Alsenz River Valley. It is a steep site near Altenbamberg, in an area of the Nahe full of legends. read more

At Cochem, some 50 km southwest of the Mosel River’'s confluence with the Rhine at Koblenz, the Mosel begins a series of spectacular loops as it snakes its way toward Zell, Bernkastel and Trier. read more

Looking at a map, the Main River seems to form a large “W” as it loops its way through the heart of the Franken wine-growing region. That’s a convenient way to remember that the region'’s wine and cultural capital is the beautiful city of Würzburg. read more

Bockenheim and Schweigen-Rechtenbach are at opposite ends of the Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Road). Not only does each town boast a massive Weintor (gateway) marking the start/finish of the wine road, but each also has a vineyard named Sonnenberg. read more

"Drachenfels" (Dragon's Cliff) is the name of one of the Siebengebirge just south of Bonn - and doubtlessly, the best known. Grapes have been grown here from the Romans to Charlemagne ... read more

The Paschal Lamb – from Pasch, meaning Passover or Easter – is deeply rooted in tradition, as is wine culture. How, then, did a Mosel vineyard site, located midway between Cochem and Zell in the village of Ediger, acquire the name Osterlämmchen...literally, Easter lamb? read more

Germany's centuries old, outdoor Christmas markets are lit by thousands of lights, the air is filled with the spicy fragrance of Glühwein (mulled wine) and Lebkuchen (gingerbread) and it is the season for Gänsebraten (roast goose). A famous Mosel vineyard is named after the geese who roamed there. read more