The wine-growing region in Germany is largely situated in Rhineland-Palatinate (capital: Mainz), with a small area in North Rhine-Westphalia (capital: Düsseldorf). The vineyards cover 470 hectares of vineyard area, stretching from the municipality of Oberdollendorf near Königswinter, opposite Bonn, to the north of Bingen, partly on both banks of the eponymous middle reaches of the Rhine. Koblenz lies at the heart of this beautiful river landscape. The picture shows the Rhine loop with the three towns of Osterspai, Filsen and Boppard.

The vineyards stretch for 120 kilometres on both sides of the Rhine, deep into the side valleys. There are also a few vineyards on the banks of the Lahn. The area, with its many castle ruins, presents itself as a narrow strip of vineyards, some of which cling to the steep slopes rising up from the river in terraces. UNESCO recognised this when, in 2002, it declared the Middle Rhine Valley between Bingen-Büdesheim and Koblenz a World Heritage Site. 

The influence of the Cistercians

Viticulture was established here by the Romans following the founding of the cities of Cologne (Colonia) and Bonn (Bonna). It flourished in the Middle Ages under the influence of the Cistercians, who built Heisterbach Abbey above Oberdollendorf. The town of Bacharach developed into one of the most important wine-trading centres on the Rhine and contributed significantly to the economic importance of viticulture on the Middle Rhine.

Climate and Soil

The wind-sheltered vineyards benefit from many sunny days; the Rhine acts as an excellent heat reservoir. The soils consist of weathered slate and greywacke, scattered loess islands and, in the north, volcanic rock. More than 80% of the vineyards are on steep slopes with a gradient of at least 30%, whilst the remainder are almost exclusively on hillsides. Some, such as those in the Bopparder Hamm, are among the steepest vineyards in Germany. The labour-intensive nature of cultivation means that the area under vine is steadily shrinking. Over the last 30 years, this has amounted to around 40 per cent.

Areas, municipalities and vineyard sites

The wine-growing region is divided into two areas, Loreley and Siebengebirge, comprising eleven major vineyards and 111 individual vineyard sites.

Loreley

Near St. Goarshausen lies the world-famous 132-metre-high Loreley rock. A 19th-century legend tells of a water nymph who lured Rhine boatmen with her sweet singing, causing their boats to crash against the slate rock. The poet Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) made the Loreley world-famous with the lines ‘I know not what it means that I am so sad’. She is also the patron and symbol of the wine-growing region. Every year, on the first weekend in September, the ‘Middle Rhine Wine Forum’ takes place at Rheinfels Castle in the municipality of St. Goar on the Loreley Rock, and on the first Saturday in May, the ‘Middle Rhine Wine Fair’ is held in Bacharach-Steeg.

The Loreley region is divided into ten major vineyards: Burg Hammerstein, Burg Rheinfels, Gedeonseck, Lahntal, Loreleyfelsen, Marksburg, Schloss Herrenberg, Schloss Schönburg, Schloss Stahleck and Schloss Reichenstein. Terraced viticulture is typical here. Well-known wine-growing villages and their individual vineyards are:

• Bacharach: Hahn, Insel Heylesen Werth, Kloster Fürstental, Posten, Wolfshöhle
• Bad Hönningen: Schloßberg
• Bopparder Hamm: Engelstein, Fässerlay, Feuerlay, Mandelstein, Ohlenberg, Weingrube
• Braubach: Koppelstein
• Damscheid: Sonnenstock
• Dattenberg: Gertrudenberg
• Ehrenbreitstein: Kreuzberg
• Engehöll: Bernstein, Goldemund
• Filsen: Pfarrgarten
• Hammerstein: Hölle, In den Layfelsen
• Kamp-Bornhofen: Liebenstein-Sterrenberg, Pilgrimage Trail
• Kaub: Backofen, Blüchertal, Gutenfels Castle, Pfalzgrafenstein, Rauschelay, Roßstein
• Kestert: Liebenstein-Sterrenberg
• Koblenz: Kreuzberg, Schnorbach-Brückstück
• Leutesdorf: Forstberg, Gartenlay, Rosenberg
• Manubach: Langgarten, Mönchwingert, St Oswald
• Niederheimbach: Froher Weingarten, Reifersley, Hohneck Castle
• Nochern: Brünnchen
• Oberdiebach: Bischofshub, Fürstenberg
• Oberheimberg: Römerberg, Sonne, Wahrheit
• Obernhof: Goetheberg
• Oberwesel: Oelsberg, Römerkrug, St. Martinsberg
• Osterspai: Liebeneck-Sonnenlay
• Patersberg: Teufelstein
• Perscheid: Rosental
• Rheinbrohl: Monte Jup, Römerberg
• Rhens: König Wenzel, Sonnenlay
• Steeg: Hambusch, Lennenborn, St. Jost
• St. Goarshausen: Katz Castle, Maus Castle, Loreley-Edel
• Unkel: Berg, Sonnenberg
• Urbar: Beulsberg
• Vallendar: Königshof
• Weinähr: Giebelhöll

The picture shows Stahleck Castle with the single-vineyard plots Posten (in the foreground) and Wolfshöhle (in the background) in Bacharach.

Siebengebirge

The Siebengebirge region, which includes the ‘ Großlage ’ and ‘Petersberg’, is situated in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and comprises around 25 hectares of vineyards. The wine-growing communities and individual vineyard sites:

• Bad Honnef: Drachenfels
• Bonn: Rheinaue
• Königswinter: Drachenfels, Goldenfüßchen, Heisterberg, Laurentiusberg, Sülzenberg
• Niederdollendorf: Goldenfüßchen, Heisterberg, Longenburgerberg
• Oberdollendorf: Laurentiusberg, Rosenhügel, Sülzenberg
• Rhöndorf: Drachenfels

Grape variety overview

There were no significant changes compared with 2009. Riesling tops the list, accounting for two-thirds of the total area under vine, followed in second place by Pinot Noir with just under 10 per cent. Status as at 2018 (0 = less than 0.5 ha):

Producers

Well-known producers in the Middle Rhine wine-growing region include, for example, Bastian Friedrich, Didinger, Dr Kauer, Heilig Grab, Hohn Peter, Königshof, Lambrich Albert, Lanius-Knab, Mohr und Söhne, Müller Matthias, Perll August, Ockenfels, Ratzenberger, Toni Jost Hahnenhof, Villa Riesling and Weingart Florian.