Germany's wine regions

German wine differs from wines of other countries - it's light, lively and fruity, thanks to Germany's unique climatic and geological conditions. The diversity of German wine stems from the many soil types and grape varieties. This diversity is reflected in Germany's 13 wine-growing regions.

The vineyards here are between Worms, Mainz and Bingen and cover an area of 26,000 hectares. This is Germany’s largest wine-growing region, in part dating back to the 9th century.

There are six different wine-growing regions along the Rhine, including the Rheingau. The monastery in Eberbach was founded by Cistercian monks from Burgundy. They brought the skills of wine-making to the monastery and its wines are exported the world over.

The Middle Rhine region begins in Bingen. The river becomes narrower here and the region is famous for its steep vineyards beside the Rhine. The region with its castles and medieval towns became a UNESCO world heritage site in 2002.

This is a wine-growing region with superlatives that include the largest wine festival and the world’s largest wine barrel. Along the 85 kilometer long German wine trail you will find 130 wine-growing towns and villages. Every year the German wine queen is crowned in Neustadt.

The famous round wine bottles are the trademark of wines from Franken in northern Bavaria. The region is home to many young vintners whose motto is quality, not quantity. The region has been home to wine-growing for over 1,200 years.

Here you will find steep vineyards on the river banks. This one is in fact the steepest vineyard in Europe with 68 degree gradients. The only equipment here is the cog wheel railway. Everything else has to be done by hand. This is Germany’s oldest wine-growing region. The tradition was brought here by the Romans 2,000 years ago.

This area enjoys plenty of sunshine. It is Germany’s third largest wine-growing region and stretches from Lake Constance to Tauberfranken. Baden is the most important wine region for pinot noir.

The centers of this wine-growing region are Stuttgart and Heilbronn. The amount of wine consumed by the locals is twice the national average. The region is famous for its red wine. Stuttgart produces more wine than any other German city and stages an annual wine-tasting event.

The village of Mayschloss on the River Ahr is surrounded by vineyards. The Ahr valley is one of the northernmost wine-growing regions in Germany and also one of the smallest. A 35 kilometer hiking path links the vineyards. The flood in July 2021 destroyed 50 hectares of land, which is now being rebuilt.

Germany’s northern-most wine-growing region is along the Saale and Unstrut rivers. The wines from this region are rather rough and the yields are small. Nevertheless the local vintners have learned how to produce top quality wines and they are in huge demand.

This wine-growing region, like Saale-Unstrut, is in the former East Germany. It enjoyed a revival after the fall of communism. It is now well-known for its sparkling wines, for example from Schloss Wackerbarth, the second oldest cellar for sparkling wines in Germany. During the last weekend of August more than 25 local vineyards open their doors to the public for wine tasting and guided tours.

This region with some 4,000 hectares of vineyards lies between the Rhine and Moselle rivers. It is one of Germany’s smaller wine-growing regions. It is best explored by hiking or cycling but it also has its own wine route.

This region is located north of Heidelberg. Just 452 hectares in size, it boasts 233 different types of soil. Wines differ from place to place. They are rarely found on shop shelves because they are almost all sold and drunk locally.