Discover the Rheingau Riesling Route

A region rich in history, traditions and legends, not to mention great wines:

The Rheingau Riesling Route stretches over 70 km from Lorchhausen to Florsheim and is a region that’s rich in history, traditions and legends, not to mention the great rieslings. The Romans left a rich legacy of architectural and cultural monuments and visitors travelling  along the Route will find a landscape that’s sprinkled with medieval castles, monasteries, churches and established estates. The route is well signposted.

The Rheingau region is located where the Rhine leaves its north-south course and swings round to the west between Mainz/Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim.  Wine has been growing in the Rheingau since Roman times, making the Rheingau one of longest established wine-growing regions in the Mainz Basin.  Some of the finest German rieslings are grown in the vineyards on the green Taunus hills between Wiesbaden and Rüdesheim.

Discovering the Rheingau Riesling Route

In centuries past, wine growing in the Rheingau was controlled by wine estates owned by the church and the aristocracy. These days, the region’s wine estates and small wine-producing towns are connected by a network of marked footpaths and cycle trails offering visitors views of idyllic scenery, neatly kept wine-growing villages and plenty of wine taverns.

Towns Along the Riesling Route

Towns along the Rheingau Riesling Route include Lorchhausen, Lorch, Assmannshausen, Rudesheim am Rhein, Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Angle, Mittelheim, Oestrich, Hallgarten, Hattenheim, Kloster Eberbach, Erbach, Eltville, Kiedrich, Rauenthal, Martinsthal, Walluf, Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden-Frauenstein, Wiesbaden-Schierstein, Mainz-Kostheim, Hochheim and Florsheim-Wicker.   Cycling or walking are good ways of discovering and enjoying the region and cycling and walking maps are available in many bookstores in the Rheingau.  Note that there are some gentle elevations but also some steep climbs and downhill bits, so enjoyment of the region is best done at a leisurely pace.  As you zig-zag along the route, stop by the many wine taverns and check out the local offerings.

Wine lovers, especially those who appreciate German rieslings, can look forward to tasting wines from traditional Rheingau estates with impressive names such as Schloss Johannisberg, Schloss Vollrads and Kloster Eberbach.   (Look out for Eberbach Abbey, the set location for the film “The Name of the Rose”.)

If you’re keen to learn more about wine-making here, the Rheingau’s wine growers are happy for visitors to watch them go about their work. Those who are energetic and want to help with harvesting, need to be aware that in Germany grapes only thrive on sunny, south-facing slopes and you have to be prepared to get up early!

Click here to get a free PDF of this post

Your Turn: Do you have any advice you would like to share? What tips would you like to add? Please comment below.