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The Rheinhessen Region
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions, with 26,444 hectares under cultivation. The area lies on the left bank of the River Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Despite its name, it is not situated in the Federal state of Hesse. It produces mostly white wine from a variety of grapes, particularly Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, although some underrated Rieslings are also made, increasingly in a powerful dry style.
The Rhine forms the eastern and northern boundary of the region, with the Nahe River to the west and the Haardt Mountains to the south. The Palatinate wine region lies to the south, the Rheingau lies across the Rhine to the north, and the Nahe wine region to the west. Known as the "land of the thousand hills", the terrain is undulating with vineyards mixed with orchards and other forms of farming. Its larger towns include: Mainz, Worms, Bingen, Alzey, Nieder-Olm and Ingelheim.
In general the wines are best nearest the Rhine, where the soil imparts more complex flavours. The best known area for white wines is the so-called Rheinterasse between Oppenheim and Nackenheim. The main red grape area is around Ingelheim, in the north of the region opposite the Rheingau. Grapes have been grown in the region since Roman times, and viticulture was promoted by Charlemagne.
When the owners of Stadecken-Elsheim, the Counts of Katzenelnbogen, first cultivated Riesling in 1435 they called the wine from this part of their county the Wine from the Gau. At the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15, Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse, was awarded Rheinish Hesse as compensation for the loss of his Westphalian territories. As a result, he amended his title to "Grand Duke from Hesse and to the Rhine" and the name of the region was created.
One of the wines from Rheinhessen, which proved a disaster for the German wine industry. The area is the origin of Liebfraumilch, which is named after the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Worms. Once, it was also was the name of a good and famous vineyard. Later, Liebfraumilch, produced mostly from Müller-Thurgau, was used as a name for an almost character less, semi-sweet wine produced in several German regions, and was almost singlehanded responsible for much of the erosion of the German wines' reputation on the export market. Today, no quality-oriented producer anywhere in Germany would dare to produce a Liebfraumilch for fear it would destroy their reputation.
In that period, which was quite forgettable for most of the bulk producers, most of the wine had been cheap white wine that was off-dry to semi-sweet. The response to the Liebfraumilch reputation was to market "Rheinhessen-Silvaner" as a dry wine - but this was also not man's greatest success in the export markets, or indeed in Germany.
Since more young wine makers get their oenological education at the renowned University of Applied Sciences in Geisenheim, the quality increases year by year. Nearly all styles of wine may be found, old fashioned as well as new techniques. So, the old reputations no longer hold true. There are great, internationally recognised wines to be found in this region.
To the south, near the Pfalz, there are some excellent vineyards, and to the northwest, bordering on the Nahe river, there are also many well known names. To find the regions most well known wines, however, one should look to the vineyards around Nierstein, in the eastern section. The stretch of vineyards which runs from Bodenheim (near Mainz) in the north to Mettenheim (north of Worms) in the south, is named the Rheinterrasse; and this area accounts for one-third of the region's Riesling vines.
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions, with 26,444 hectares under cultivation. The area lies on the left bank of the River Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Despite its name, it is not situated in the Federal state of Hesse. It produces mostly white wine from a variety of grapes, particularly Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, although some underrated Rieslings are also made, increasingly in a powerful dry style.
The Rhine forms the eastern and northern boundary of the region, with the Nahe River to the west and the Haardt Mountains to the south. The Palatinate wine region lies to the south, the Rheingau lies across the Rhine to the north, and the Nahe wine region to the west. Known as the "land of the thousand hills", the terrain is undulating with vineyards mixed with orchards and other forms of farming. Its larger towns include: Mainz, Worms, Bingen, Alzey, Nieder-Olm and Ingelheim.
In general the wines are best nearest the Rhine, where the soil imparts more complex flavours. The best known area for white wines is the so-called Rheinterasse between Oppenheim and Nackenheim. The main red grape area is around Ingelheim, in the north of the region opposite the Rheingau. Grapes have been grown in the region since Roman times, and viticulture was promoted by Charlemagne.
When the owners of Stadecken-Elsheim, the Counts of Katzenelnbogen, first cultivated Riesling in 1435 they called the wine from this part of their county the Wine from the Gau. At the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15, Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse, was awarded Rheinish Hesse as compensation for the loss of his Westphalian territories. As a result, he amended his title to "Grand Duke from Hesse and to the Rhine" and the name of the region was created.
One of the wines from Rheinhessen, which proved a disaster for the German wine industry. The area is the origin of Liebfraumilch, which is named after the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Worms. Once, it was also was the name of a good and famous vineyard. Later, Liebfraumilch, produced mostly from Müller-Thurgau, was used as a name for an almost character less, semi-sweet wine produced in several German regions, and was almost singlehanded responsible for much of the erosion of the German wines' reputation on the export market. Today, no quality-oriented producer anywhere in Germany would dare to produce a Liebfraumilch for fear it would destroy their reputation.
In that period, which was quite forgettable for most of the bulk producers, most of the wine had been cheap white wine that was off-dry to semi-sweet. The response to the Liebfraumilch reputation was to market "Rheinhessen-Silvaner" as a dry wine - but this was also not man's greatest success in the export markets, or indeed in Germany.
Since more young wine makers get their oenological education at the renowned University of Applied Sciences in Geisenheim, the quality increases year by year. Nearly all styles of wine may be found, old fashioned as well as new techniques. So, the old reputations no longer hold true. There are great, internationally recognised wines to be found in this region.
To the south, near the Pfalz, there are some excellent vineyards, and to the northwest, bordering on the Nahe river, there are also many well known names. To find the regions most well known wines, however, one should look to the vineyards around Nierstein, in the eastern section. The stretch of vineyards which runs from Bodenheim (near Mainz) in the north to Mettenheim (north of Worms) in the south, is named the Rheinterrasse; and this area accounts for one-third of the region's Riesling vines.
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