MAIN Wine Europe Germany Rheingau

If your idea of Rhine wine is the exported version of Liebfraumilch, be prepared to discover new tastes and aromas as you explore the range of dry to sweet white wines that the Rheingau ("Rhine district") is famous for.

It was here that the idea of harvesting grapes at different stages of ripeness was first introduced. The longer the grapes hang on the wines, the sweeter they become. The earlier harvests yield dryer, less sweet wines while the grapes picked last, the Spätlese, are sweeter. The Rheingau first made delicious sweet wines from grapes with Botrytis Cinerea (noble rot).

The Rheingau, little more than 20 miles long, is the smallest German wine growing area. Yet this area of winding rivers, fairy tale castles, and picture postcard villages framed by hillsides draped with grape vines may be the most renowned of them all.

These are the Hock wines, wines from the Hochheim area, that were a favorite of Queen Victoria. The Dom zu Köln, the awe inspiring Gothic cathedral of Cologne, marks the beginning of this wine route.

The main grape varieties here are the Riesling and the Spätburgunder. There are also a small number of Müller-Thurgau, Ehrenfelser, Kerner and Weissburgunder vines. The grapes grow along the Rhine River between the villages of Wiesbaden and Rudesheim.

While there are some reds produced here, the whites in the brown bottles are the prize...

By the Rhine! By the Rhine!
'Tis here we grow our finest wine.
- Matthäus Claudius

More information about Rhine wineries around the Web:

Rheingau (wine region) - Extensive overview from Wikipedia with information on grape varieties, geography, terroir and climate, and notable winemaking villages in the district with related photos, maps, references and resources.

Visiting the Rheingau - the cradle of Reisling - Check out what makes Reisling a top favorite with how to choose the best ones, personal recommendations, related photos, and resources.