GERMANY’S MITTELRHEIN WINE REGION - THE MIDDLE RHINE VALLEY
The wine town of Bacharach, Mittelrhein
Source: Winekeller
Winekeller wine travel and wine tour experiences in the Mittelrhein wine region:
Recommended tour operators in Mittelrhein for wine tours, wine tasting & vineyard tours:
Tour: ‘Mittelrhein’ guided tour - (bespoke tour by mini-bus)
Tour operator: BottleStops
Duration: 1 day
Departing from: Mainz
Oberwesel, the Middle Rhine Valley
Source: Winekeller
An introduction to the Mittelrhein - the Middle Rhine Valley
The Mittelrhein wine region is probably more well known for its impressive castles and steep cliffs than it is for its wines, but these can also be very impressive!
The Mittelrhein - or Middle Rhine Valley - is the spectacular stretch of the River Rhine between Bonn and Bingen, known as the Rhine Gorge, encompassing some of the world’s most amazing, spectacular scenery. This steep, narrow valley where ancient castles tower over mediaeval villages and impossibly steep, terraced vineyards, has the highest concentration of castles compared to anywhere else in the world and was one of the world’s first significant wine tourism destinations!
The Romantic Rhine and Rhine Valley castles
The Middle Rhine Valley is also a region steeped in legend (eg the Lorelie/Loreley legend, the Nibelungs legend), the source of inspiration for many writers (eg Goethe, Byron), artists (eg William Turner) and winemakers and throughout history it earned itself the name’ The Romantic Rhine’
Over the past 200 years visitors have flocked to this part of the Rhine Valley in Germany and ‘Rhine Romanticism’ has given way to ‘Rhine Tourism’ . The southern part of the Middle Rhine Valley - a 70 km stretch called the ‘Upper Middle Rhine Valley’ has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002 and today more than 60 castles and palaces await the visitor, as well as some amazing hiking routes, cycle paths, river boat journeys and of course, German wines, especially German Rieslings!
Mittelrhein vineyards
Middle Rhine map (source: Winekeller)
Boppard is the largest continuous vineyard and also the most famous in Mittelrhein, known as the ‘Bopparder Hamm’, with vines spread out on a large curve on the River Rhine. Other great wines come from the far south near the Rheingau wine region at Bacharach and adjacent Steeg, whose most notable vineyards are Hahn, Posten, Wolfshöhle, and St Jost. Just upstream from Bacharach, Oberwesel also has some excellent vineyard sites.
The Mittelrhein wine region comprises 470 hectares of vineyards, running either side of the River Rhine, the most important of which are located south-east of Koblenz between the wine towns of Boppard and Bacharach, growing on both sides of the Rhine gorge.
The River Rhine in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley acts as the spine for the Mittelrhein wine region however the towns of Lorchhausen, Lorch and Rüdesheim in the south of the valley are assigned to the Rheingau wine region, Bingen is assigned to the two wine growing regions of Rheinhessen and Nahe, Koblenz is partly part of the Mosel wine region and the town of Sinzig is assigned to the Ahr region. This just demonstrates the significance of rivers such as the Rhine in the world’s famous wine regions.
The soils in the Mittelrhein are mostly slate, warmed by the water from the Rhine and the region is typified by very steep vineyard slopes, which all need to be worked by hand. This is the reason why there are fewer vines here than years ago as it is just so labour intensive. There are approximately 80-90 wineries in Mittelrhein now, with the average size being just 3-4 hectares.
The Bopparder Hamm vineyard - Winekeller
The Bacharacher Hahn vineyard - Winekeller
Vineyards behind Bacharach - Winekeller
Mittelrhein Wines
Wines have been produced in Mittelrhein since Roman times, but it’s only in recent years that its reputation for excellent wines has grown, with increasingly more innovative winemakers being attracted here, due to the superb slate soils, the steep sun-drenched slopes and the unique micro-climate. Mittelrhein wines can offer excellent value for money, considering the labour that has gone into producing them.
The slate soils here produce wines with excellent acidity, perfect for that noble grape variety - German Riesling. Approximately three-quarters of Mittelrhein vineyards are planted with Riesling.
The hallmark of Mittelrhein Rieslings is freshness and fragrance, combining superb minerality with tropical fruit flavours. The grapes are often used to make German sparkling wine - or Sekt - which requires high acidity.
Mittelrhein also produces some high quality red wines, in particular Pinot noir - or Spätburgunder - which accounts for just 9% of Mittelrhein’s vineyards. Again, the best vineyards are located around both Boppard and Bacharach.
Typical steep Mittelrhein vineyards
Weingut Weingart, Spay
Weingut Lanius Knab, Oberwesel
Weingut Toni Jost, Bacharach
Recommended Mittelrhein wineries
Here are some Mittelrhein wineries we can personally recommend, having visited the vineyards and tasted the wines:
Mittelrhein travel guide and useful information
Getting to and travelling within Mittelrhein
Frankfurt International Airport - ‘RheinMain’ - is the closest international airport to access the Mittelrhein region from the south and the region is well supported by bus and rail transport links. Koblenz in the north is also easily reached via car and train, using Frankfurt or Cologne as the nearest airport.
Of course, in addition to driving or using the bus and rail network, you also have the option to enjoy the beautiful Romantic Rhine and use the river ferry network!
Mittelrhein hiking and cycling trails
What better way to explore this beautiful region than to get your walking boots and enjoy the many fabulous hiking trails, including the Rheinsteig and the Rheinburgenweg.
The Mittelrhein is also a dream for cyclists, whether hard-core cyclists or e-bikers like ourselves, there are incredible bike paths and an excellent cycling infrastructure to support you. Cycling the Rhine route through the famous Mittelrhein and the Upper Middle Valley, with its spectacular scenery and sights is a wonderful experience.
Cycling in the spectacular Mittelrhein
Pfalz-Grafenstein and Burg Gutenfels
The centre of Oberwesel
The sights of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley
There are so many historic and cultural treasures to visit and enjoy in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley it would be impossible to list them here, however here’s some tips and useful information:
Castles in the Rhine valley
If castles are your thing, then this is the place to come! Romantic castles, mediaeval castles, fortresses - the Rhine Valley has them all and there is one around every bend in the river! Built by wealthy landowners to protect their land and to charge tolls to traders going up and down the river, some of the castles are state-owned today and some are privately owned. Some also offer accommodation and range from youth hostels to luxury options. (For all accommodation options see here).
Top tip - Burg Reichenstein is a top hotel and restaurant and comes highly recommended.
Rhine towns and villages:
Spend time exploring the beautiful towns and villages along the Rhine, with their half-timbered buildings, cobbled streets and small alleyways. See here for a brief description of top places to visit!
Top tip - walk the historic city walls in Oberwesel and Bacharach; take the cable car in Boppard up the banks of the Rhine to enjoy the excellent views; visit Kaub where Blücher crossed the river with his army on his way to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo, visit St.Goarshausen, the home of the famous Loreley rock and learn all about its legend!
Follow the William Turner Route
Follow the trail of ‘Rhine Romanticism’ and stand in the footsteps of acclaimed British artist, Willam Turner. You can follow the ‘William Turner Route’ through a total of 26 sites between Koblenz and Bingen, marking important waypoints on Turner’s journey through the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in the early 1800s. Stand in the same spot from where Turner painted his famous paintings along the Rhine.
Kaub and the Blücher monument
Follow the William Turner Route through the Mittelrhein
Point no. 20 on the William Turner Route - Burg Fürstenberg
Planning your Mittelrhein wine tour:
The Mittelrhein and Middle Rhine Valley was one of the first German tourist destinations and today it’s the perfect destination for tourists and wine tourists alike! There is so much tradition, history and culture to experience here.
Hopefully our suggestions have given you some insights for planning a wine tour of Germany’s Mittelrhein wine region. You may look to combine a Mittelrhein wine tour with a Rheingau wine tour and/or Rheinhessen tour as they are within very easy reach of one another.
We can also recommend arranging a bespoke tour with regional tour and tasting specialists, Bottlestops.
See here to help plan your visit!
One of the best ways to appreciate the beautiful Middle Rhine Valley is by boat - read all about our Rhine river cruise from Boppard am Rhein to Koblenz, seeing a few castles and discovering some new wines along the way!