Rheinhessen

The vineyard area between Alzey, Worms, Mainz, and Bingen covers 27,657 hectares, enclosed to the north and east by the great curve of the Rhine. It is therefore no surprise that almost every village in Rheinhessen—from the Rheinterrasse through Wonnegau to the Alzey hill country—can look back on a long tradition of winegrowing.

The Romans were already cultivating vines on the left bank of the Rhine, and the oldest document referring to a German vineyard site—the Niersteiner Glöck—concerns a location in Rheinhessen. The region enjoys an ideal climate for viticulture. Mountain ranges to the west protect the wine country, and the weather is characterized by low rainfall, warm summers, and mild winters.

These excellent working conditions are appreciated by the new, young generation of Rheinhessen winegrowers, who have drawn attention in recent years with outstanding wines. With 5,471 hectares of Riesling, Rheinhessen ranks as Germany’s number two for this variety. Around 43 percent of all German Silvaner (1,763 ha) and more than one third of the country’s Müller-Thurgau (3,761 ha) also flourish in Rheinhessen, though the latter is showing a downward trend. The vineyard area of the new variety Souvignier Gris increased from 96 hectares in 2023 to 248 hectares in 2025 - more than doubling. This growth highlights the rising importance of the variety within the region’s current grape portfolio.

The classic Burgundy varieties (Pinot varieties) are also gaining ground. After an increase of 110 hectares, Pinot Grigio (Grauburgunder) reached 2,424 hectares in 2024, making Rheinhessen Germany’s most important region for this variety, overtaking Baden. In 2025, 2,462 hectares of Pinot Grigio were planted. Rheinhessen also leads nationwide in Chardonnay, with 1,187 hectares. At the same time, the red wine area has more than doubled within a decade. This red‑wine boom has been driven particularly by Dornfelder. Nearly one quarter of Rheinhessen’s vineyard area is now planted with red varieties.

Overview Rheinhessen

Geographical location: The Rhine Valley, bordered by the Nahe River on the west and by the Rhine on the north and east

Major town(s): Mainz, Worms, Alzey, Bingen

Climate: Mild; the region is surrounded by protective hills and forests; in the west: the forested, hilly countryside known as "Rheinhessen's Switzerland"; in the north: the Taunus Hills; in the east: the Oden Forest.

Soil types: Loess, limestone and loam, often mixed with sand or gravel, are the main soil types. "Rotliegendes" is a red, slaty-sandy clay soil in the steep riverfront vineyards of Nackenheim and Nierstein and near Bingen, there is an outcropping of quartzite-slate. 

Vineyard area 2025: 27,657 ha · 3 districts · 24 collective vineyard sites · 400+ individual sites 

Grape varieties 2022 [white 75% · red 25%]: Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Dornfelder, Silvaner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Portugieser and Kerner

Marketing: There are a large number of part-time wine-growers in the region who sell grapes or bulk wine to commerical wineries and producer associations who produce and/or bottle and market the wine. Because of the large number of individual sites, about half the region's wine is marketed under the name of a few collective sites (e.g. Niersteiner Gutes Domtal, Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen). About one third of all Rheinhessen wine is exported, not least because it is the primary supplier of the components for "Liebfrauenmilch".

Signposted routes through wine country: There is no officially signposted Rheinhessen Wine Road. (One explanation is that nearly every village in the region is involved with wine and hence, all roads are "wine roads.") The road parallel to the Rhine (B-9) from Mainz to Worms is known as the "Liebfrauenstraße".