Rheinhessen

This is the largest wine-growing region in Germany. It has a total vineyard area of 26.333 hectares, and is also referred to as the „Land of 1.000 hills”. The Romans already practised viticulture here, as is evidenced by an old water pipe found in Ingelheim. Emperor Charlemagne (742-814) had a castle in Ingelheim, and legend has it that while on a trip on the Rhine to Ingelheim he commented on the excellent suitability of the region for viticulture. Rheinhessen (which has nothing to do with the modern federal state of Hessen, the name is derived from the previous owner, duke Ludwig I. of Hessen) lies on the left bank of the large bend in the Rhine, in the square bordered by the towns resp. cities of Bingen, Mainz, Alzey and Worms. Many wine-rpducing villages are spread around the countryside in the midst of hilly vineyards. The capital city of Mainz is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany, the cathedral is well worth a visit, as is the Gutenberg museum, deicated to the memory of the inventor of movable tape. The town of Nierstein is regarded as the wine capital of the Rheinhessen region, and gave its name to the largest district. The soils are loess, sediment, fine sandy marl, quartzite, porphyry and decomposed stone. The protective influence of the Odenwald and Taunus mountains ensures mild temperatures. The Rheinhessen wine-growing region is divided into three districts - Bingen, Nierstein and Wonnegau – with 24 regional sites and 442 single vineyard sites.

The Nierstein district is located in the east and the south central part of the region, and consists of the regional sites Auflangen, Domherr, Gutes Domtal, Güldenmorgen, Krötenbrunnen, Petersberg, Rehbach, Rheinblick, Sankt Alban, Spiegelberg and Vogelsgärten. Well-known wine-producing communes, with their principal sites, include: Alsheim; Albig with Hundskopf; Bodenheim; Dienheim with Falkenberg, Siliusbrunnen and Tafelstein; Nackenheim with Engelsberg and Rothenberg; Nierstein with Brückchen, Brudersberg, Glöck, Hipping, Kranzberg, Ölberg, Paterberg and Pettental; as well as Oppenheim with Daubhaus and Sackträger. The Bingen district lies in the west, and consists of the regional sites Abtey, Adelberg, Kaiserpfalz, Kurfürstenstück, Rheingrafenstein and Sankt Rochuskapelle. Well-known wine-growing communes, with their principal sites, include: Bingen with Kapellenberg, Kirchberg, Rosengarten and Scharlachberg#Scharlachberg (site); Ingelheim with Schloss Westerhaus; Flonheim with Rotenpfad; as well as Ockenheim with Klosterweg. The Wonnegau district lies to the south of Worms, and consists of the regional sites Bergkloster, Burg Rodenstein, Domblick, Gotteshilfe, Liebfrauenmorgen, Pilgerpfad and Sybillenstein. Well-known wine-producing communes, with their principal sites, include: Alzey with Kapellenberg and Rotenfels; Bechtheim with Hasensprung and Heiligkreuz; Flörsheim-Dalsheim with Hubacker; Osthofen with Klosterberg, Liebenberg and Rheinberg; Westhofen with Aulerde, Kirchspiel and Morstein; as well as Worms with Goldapfel, Lerchelsberg, Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück (origin of Liebfrauenmilch) and Römersteg. The vineyards along the banks of the Rhine are often referred to collectively as the ”Rheinfront”. It is remarkable that of the 160 wine-producing communes in Rheinhessen, the names of 120 end with „-heim”. A state institute for vine growing and experimental nursery is located in Alzey, some of the new crossings that make up 40% of the vineyard area were developed here. The most successful German vine breeder, Georg Scheu (1879 – 1949) worked here for many years.

Well-known producers include: Battenfeld-Spanier, Brüder Dr. Becker, Ch. W. Bernhard, Dautermann, Dr. Heyden, Erbeldinger, Evangelische Kirche von Hessen und Nassau (Protestant church), Heyl zu Herrnsheim, Gehring, Göhring, Gutzler, Gysler, Hauck, Heinrich Groh, Hemer, Hiestand, Hirschhof, Hofmann Jürgen, Johanninger, Julius Wasem - Rodensteiner Hof, Keller Klaus, Kissinger, Knobloch Klaus, Kruger-Rumpf, Kühling-Gillot, Louis Guntrum, Manz, Milch, Neef-Emmich, Neumer Jakob, Ökonomierat Johann Geil I. Erben, Posthof Doll und Göth, Racke, Sander, Schembs, Scherner-Kleinhanß, Schneider Georg Albrecht, Seebrich, St. Antony, Strub, Valckenberg, Villa Sachsen, Wagner-Stempel, Weitzel, Wittmann and Würtz-Königsmühle. In contrast with other wine-growing regions in Germany, Riesling plays a relatively minor role here. Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, the latter of which is also marketed as Rheinhessen Silvaner (RS), dominate the plantings. The varieties planted as of 2001:
Variety Synonyms Colour Hectares % share
Müller-Thurgau Rivaner White 5.268 20,0
Silvaner Grüner Silvaner White 2.987 11,3
Riesling Weißer Riesling White 2.594 9,9
Dornfelder - Red 2.195 8,3
Kerner - White 1.979 7,5
Blauer Portugieser Portugieser Red 1.852 7,0
Scheurebe Sämling 88 White 1.538 5,8
Bacchus - White 1.460 5,5
Faberrebe - White 1.077 4,1
Pinot Noir Spätburgunder Red 966 3,7
Huxelrebe - White 685 2,6
Ortega - White 558 2,1
Pinot Blanc Weißburgunder White 501 1,9
Pinot Gris Ruländer, Grauburgunder White 443 1,7
Morio-Muskat Morio White 385 1,5
Chardonnay - White 227 0,9
Regent - Red 153 0,6
Reichensteiner - White 140 0,5
Traminer Roter Traminer White 118 0,4
Siegerrebe - White 94 0,3
White varieties 20.678 78,5
Red varieties 5.655 21,5
TOTAL 26.333 100