{"id":5663,"date":"2020-05-12T15:16:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T13:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trinkreif.de\/the-rheingau-hesses-wine-growing-region\/"},"modified":"2023-05-19T12:49:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T10:49:59","slug":"the-rheingau-hesses-wine-growing-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trinkreif.de\/en\/the-rheingau-hesses-wine-growing-region\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rheingau – Hesse’s wine-growing region"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the north, protected from frosty winds by the forests and mountains of the Taunus, lie the top sites of the Hessian wine region Rheingau. With the protective low mountain range behind it and the wide Rhine at its feet as a reservoir of warmth and water, the wine-growing region has a very special microclimate that is reflected in the quality of its wines. The multi-layered soils and two millennia of wine culture produce world-renowned white and red wines. In addition, the Rheingau is considered the birthplace of the Riesling and the Sp\u00e4tlese.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Near Wiesbaden and Mainz, the Rhine, which otherwise ran in such a straight line, decided to make a small but significant change of course. For about 25 kilometers it bends to the west and over millions of years cut the present Rheingau valley into the landscape. Without this happy whim of nature, the Rheingau would never have come into being. It is only by this geological coincidence that it possesses its coveted prime sites with southern exposure.<\/p>\n\n

The Rheingau wine-growing region is divided into eleven large vineyards with a total of 123 individual vineyards. Among them international top sites for Riesling and Pinot Noir. The wine-growing area extends far beyond the limits of its geographical location. For example, the Lohrberger Hang<\/em> in the east of Frankfurt and the B\u00f6ddinger Berg<\/em> (the northernmost vineyard in Hesse) near Felsberg, also still belong to the Rheingau winegrowing region.<\/p>\n\n

Riesling and Pinot Noir: The most popular grape varieties of the Rheingau<\/h2>\n\n

Welcome to the land of Riesling. With over 78% of the total cultivated area (as of 2008), the queen of vines<\/em> clearly dominates. Almost all of the Rheingau’s top sites are planted with Riesling. Due to the characteristic acid structure, rheingau Rieslings often require a certain storage time before they reach drinking maturity. With 12.7%, Pinot Noir is the second most cultivated grape variety in the Rheingau. With 75 hectares under cultivation, on which only Pinot Noir is grown, the Assmanshausen vineyards represent the largest contiguous area under Pinot Noir in Germany<\/strong>. The Pinots from the Assmansh\u00e4user H\u00f6llenberg<\/em> vineyard enjoy a high reputation worldwide.<\/p>\n\n

Rheingau wines characteristics<\/h2>\n\n

If you want to understand the character of the wines from the Rheingau, you have to be aware of the complexity of the soils to be found. While the balcony sites high above the Rhine are mainly quartz and slate soils<\/strong>, the lower valley sites are rich loam, loess and clay soils<\/strong>. A perfect basis for the famous Rheingau Rieslings.<\/p>\n\n

In the far west, near Assmanshausen, the phyllite slate in particular makes for excellent Pinot Noir sites<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

The 4 soil types of the Rheingau wine region<\/h3>\n\n