The Wine Growing Regions
About German Wine Regions
The Wine-growing Regions Of Germany
More information about the thirteen German wine regions can be found through the connections to the VDP and Wines of Germany websites on our Links page
The 529 hectare (about 1300 acres) home of red wine in Germany. In spite of its northerly location, about 80% of the grapes grown in the Ahr are the red varieties, especially Spätburgunder (64.3% as of 2002), with some Frühburgunder (5.9%) and Regent (2.8%) as well, so red and rose (Weissherbst) wines predominate. Some whites including Riesling (8.7%) and Weissburgunder (4%) are also grown. Another region where the locals (Bonn is only 20 km away) consume the majority of each harvest, though some is exported.
- Deutzerhof, Kreuzberg
Baden
Germany’s most southerly region, 15,727 hectares (about 39,000 acres) in size, producing whites with a reputation for intensity and lower acidity than elsewhere in Germany, as well as a large share of reds. Includes the famous Kaiserstuhl, an extinct volcano which rises abruptly from the surrounding landscape. Whites include Grauburgunder/Ruländer (14.7% 2022), Müller-Thurgau (14.3%), Weissburgunder (10.3%), as well as Gutedel (6.7%) and Riesling (5.9%) which is at its best around Ortenau. Red varieties are dominated by Spätburgunder (32.8% 2022).
- Ortenau, Kaiserstuhl
Franken
- Würzburg, Castell, Randersack, Iphofen
Hessische Bergstrasse
The smallest of the German wine growing areas at only 462 hectares (just over 1100 acres), located on the opposite (eastern) side of the Rhine from the Rheinhessen. Riesling is the leading grape here (36.4% 2022), followed by the three major Pinots, Grauburgunder (12.8%), Spätburgunder (10.8%), and Weissburgunder (5.6%). Surprising Rieslings are worth looking out for but difficult to find as the majority are consumed locally; wines from this region rarely are exported
- Bensheim, Heppenheim
- Bacharach, Boppard
Mosel
Formerly known as the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer this is one of the larger regions at 8,575 hectares (about 21,000 acres). Here the Riesling is king (62.4% of total cultivation 2022), with smaller amounts of Müller-Thurgau (9%), Elbling (5%), Spätburgunder (5%), and Weissburgunder (4.3%). also grown. Vineyards, including some of the most famous in Germany, adorn the Mosel and its tributaries, the Saar and Ruwer, between Luxembourg and Koblenz. However, the Mosel has lost about a third of its area under grape cultivation since the 1980s. There are three distinct regions: the Upper or Obermosel along with the Saar and Ruwer, the Middle or Mittelmosel, and the Lower Mosel (Terrassenmosel). The variation in microclimates makes it almost certain that superb wine will be produced somewhere within the region in any given year. For example, the Saar and Ruwer are higher and hence a little cooler but excel in the “hot” vintages. The combination of slate and steep vineyards produces vibrant and elegant wines with a fine acidity
- Bernkastel-Kues, Piesport, Trittenheim, Traben-Trarbach, and many others!
A 4240 hectare (about 10,500 acres) region just to the east of the Mosel where the wines can range from the racy elegance of the Mosel to the robustness of the Rheinhessen. White varieties include Riesling, (29.2% 2022), Müller-Thurgau (11.4%), Grauburgunder (9.1%), and Weissburgunder (7.7%), while the smaller share of reds includes Dornfelder (9%), and Spätburgunder 6.9%). Some spectacular landscapes are created by bizarre cliffs which rise abruptly out of the rolling hills in the Nahe and Alsenz river valleys. The 180 meter high Rotenfels is the biggest rock face north of the Alps and shelters a narrow terraced vineyard at its base, one of the most famous in the region.
- Schloss Böckelheim, Bad Kreuznach
Pfalz
Formerly known as the Rheinpfalz, this is the second largest German wine region, with 23,698 hectares (nearly 59,000 acres) under vines. Rich wines reflect the warm climate of the south of Germany. The region, home of Saumagen (both the dish and vineyard), extends from Kirchheim-Bolanden south to the Alsatian border. The northern half, the Mittelhardt, is the home of the most famous vineyards of the Pfalz. However, the southern part, the Südliche Weinstrasse, has experienced a rebirth over the past several decades. The most southerly vineyard (Schweigener Sonnenberg) is actually in France! One of the largest Riesling areas (25.2% of total cultivation 2022) along with the Mosel, the Pfalz also produces a variety of other wine grapes including the white Grauburgunder (9%), Müller-Thurgau (6.9%), Weissburgunder (6.1%), Chardonnay (3.9%), and Sauvignon Blanc (3.2%), as well as the red Dornfelder (10.7%), Spätburgunder 7.2%), and Portugieser (4.6%).
- Nierstein, Nackenheim, Oppenheim
- Hatteneim, Geisenheim, Eltville, Kiedrich, Hallgarten, Oestrich, Hochenheim
Rheinhessen
Enormous 27,312 hectare (nearly 65,000 acres) region, the largest wine growing region in Germany, producing often underrated wines. Riesling (19.4% 2022) and Müller-Thurgau (14.3%) are the most common whites in this diverse region, followed by Grauburgunder (8.5%), Silvaner (7.1%), Weissburgunder (5.8%), Chardonnay (3.7%), and Scheurebe (2.7%), while significant amounts of reds including Dornfelder (11.3%), Spätburgunder (5.5%) and Portugieser (3.4%) are also grown. The best vineyards are close to the Rhine where the soil imparts more complexity and interest to the wines. The region is home to the original Liebfraumilch and more recently to the (in)famous dry Silvaner marketed under the “Rheinhessen-Silvaner’ label.
- Forst, Deidesheim, Ungstein, Bad Dürkheim, Wachenheim
Sachsen
One of the smaller regions at 509 hectares (about 1250 acres), in the former East Germany along the Elbe River around Meissen and Dresden. Wines grown on small terraced vineyards are rapidly improving, though rarely exported and usually impossible to find in the USA. Important white varieties include Riesling (13.2% 2022), Müller-Thurgau (12.6%), Weissburgunder (12%), and Grauburgunder (9.5%). Gewürztraminer is small but has an avid local following.
- Meissen ,Pillwitz, Radebeul
Saale-Unstrut:
The other German wine growing region in the former East Germany, somewhat larger than Sachsen at 847 hectares (over 2000 acres), this region is west of Leipzig. Vineyards line the Saale and Unstrut rivers around Freyburg and Naumburg. The wines have improved following the addition of private wineries since reunification. Sometimes the wines are tainted with a strange earthy acidity which is not to everybody’s taste. Müller-Thurgau (14.4% 2022) and Weissburgunder (13.7%) are the most common varieties, followed by Riesling (9.2%), Dornfelder (6.5%), and Bacchus (6.5%). As with Sachsen, these wines are rarely exported and usually impossible to find in the USA.
- Freyburg, Naumburg, Bad Kösen
Württemberg
Large area with 11,467 hectares (over 28,000 acres) known for producing red varieties which represent a majority of the overall area under cultivation, such as Trollinger (16.7% 2022), Lemberger (15.5%), Spätburgunder (11.5%) and Schwarzriesling (10.5%), but also a significant amount of Riesling (18.7%). Its wines are difficult to find outside Germany or indeed outside the region itself in Germany. Most of the vineyards lie along the Neckar river and extend from the Tauber river valley to south of Stuttgart. Vineyards extended over almost four times the current area in the 16th century and even in the 19th century nearly 50,000 acres were under vine.
- Heilbronn, Weinsberg
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