Stuttgart: Wine Festival ©Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH (SMG)

Inspiring Germany

7 wine festivals: indulgence and joy

Germany is a wine country – and that alone is cause for celebration! Between the Moselle, Main and Saale rivers, numerous festivals celebrate wine in all its diversity. In addition to Riesling and Silvaner, there is something else that takes centre stage: the joyful atmosphere.

Palatinate: Bad Dürkheim Wine Festival

Lively evening at the festival with illuminated stands, lots of visitors and a Ferris wheel in the background Dürkheim sausage market ©Stadt Bad Dürkheim (Pfalz-Touristik e.V.)

You can't get more wine festival than this! For over 500 years, the Bad Dürkheim Wine Festival has been all about "Worscht un Woi", sausage and wine. The world's largest wine festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Palatinate every year. In the cosy Schubkärchlern, as the wine tents are called, guests enjoy classic white wines, deep dark Dürkheim red wines and sparkling wines whose bottles are laboriously turned by hand on a daily basis once the wine is mature. The aerial and musical fireworks display on the nearby Michelsberg is one of many highlights.

Rheinhessen: Mainz Wine Market

Musician plays guitar and sings at the Mainz wine market at sunset, while guests sit at long tables under pavilions and enjoy the atmosphere Mainz wine market ©Rheinhessen-Touristik GmbH (Robert Dieth)

Rheinhessen is Germany's largest and most diverse wine-growing region – and nowhere is this more evident than at the Mainz Wine Market . Among the old trees of the city park, winemakers present their finest wines from the 'land of 1,000 hills'. The market's roughly 300,000 visitors also enjoy musical and culinary delicacies as well as an artists' and crafts market.

Franconia: Volkach Wine Festival

Die Weinberge ziehen sich entlang der Mainschleife in Volkach, während der Fluss sich durch grüne Felder und Bäume windet. In der Ferne erscheint ein Dorf mit roten Dächern unter einem teilweise bewölkten Himmel. Vineyards along the river Main, Mainschleife ©Because You Are Hungry (Benedikt Steinle)

The Volkach Main Loop provides a spectacular backdrop, where the mighty river turns almost a full circle, thanks to a quirk of nature. This marvel of curves can be best viewed from the steep vineyards. But what is harvested and produced here is also wonderful, and you can see for yourself at Franconia's largest wine festival . Winemakers present their wines in the alleys of the picturesque old town, between half-timbered houses and music stages.

Wiesbaden: Rheingau Wine Week

Zwei Personen stehen im Freien während der Rheingauer Weinwoche in Wiesbaden und halten Gläser mit Weißwein in der Hand. Im Hintergrund stehen weitere Besucher. Wiesbaden: 41. Rheingau Wine Week 2016, visitors drinking white wine ©Wiesbaden Marketing GmbH (Michael Schick)

Ten days in August allow visitors to experience this 'little home of the great Riesling' with all their senses – right in the heart of Wiesbaden! More than 100 stalls transform the area between the town hall, market church and castle into the 'longest wine bar in the world'. However, it's not only the winegrowers and their fine wines that create this great atmosphere, but also a whole host of live bands and food stalls. Their offerings range from 'Hessian Allerlei' to the specialities of the 'Hofköche' (court cooks).

Saxony: Meissen Wine Festival

Weinberge im Vordergrund mit Reihen von grünen Weinstöcken. Im Hintergrund ist die Stadt Meißen mit der weißen Albrechtsburg in der Mitte. Meißen: View of Albrechtsburg Castle behind grapevines ©DZT (Francesco Carovillano)

The historic old town of Meissen is worth seeing all year round. The town is internationally renowned for Meissen porcelain , and on the penultimate full weekend in September the wine festival traditionally takes place. Then, between half-timbered houses and cobbled streets, numerous winegrowers present their selections. The vibrant supporting programme with music, dance and culinary specialities also ensures plenty of oohs and ahhs.

Bernkastel-Kues: Middle Moselle Wine Festival

Historical festival in an old town with half-timbered houses, where participants in traditional costumes pull wooden barrels on handcarts through the streets Middle Moselle wine festival ©Wein- und Ferienregion Bernkastel-Kues GmbH (Joshua Michels)

The vineyards in Germany's oldest wine-growing region between the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer rivers are steep and bathed in sun. The reward for the effort in reaching them is full-bodied wines, which are celebrated in style in the small town of Bernkastel-Kues in late summer. The market square with its half-timbered houses and the 'Wine Route' serve as a picturesque backdrop for the many stalls. Highlights of this five-day festivalinclude the winegrowers' parade, the coronation of the wine queen 'Mosella' and fireworks from Landshut Castle.

Saxony-Anhalt: Saale Wine Route

In Naumburg in der Weinbauregion Saale-Unstrut wandert ein Paar durch die Weinberge und wird von Reihen grüner Weinreben begleitet. Naumburg: Couple hiking in the vineyards of Saale-Unstrut ©Saale-Unstrut-Tourismus e.V. (Transmedial)

Attention, active connoisseurs! The Saale-Unstrut region has a special event every Pentecost: the wine mile between Bad Kösen and Rossbach. For about six kilometres, people stroll through vineyards, sampling delicious wines at stands and listening to live bands. Above all, they discover wineries that only open their gates on that particular weekend. It's fascinating to hear what the winegrowers from Germany's northernmost wine-growing region have to say!

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