Mittelrhein
The Rhine Valley between Bingen and Bonn offers a picturesque setting. Vineyards, crowned by castles and medieval towns, line the banks of the Rhine.
Facts
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439 ha
Vineyard area (2025)
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111
single vineyards
The Mittelrhein is Germany’s smallest wine-growing region (as of 2025), where the Romans planted the first vineyards. Its vineyards stretch for more than 100 kilometers from Bingen to the outskirts of Bonn. This area along the Rhine represents an especially beautiful part of Germany. The wine estates near Weinähr and Obernhof on the Lahn River also belong to the region.
The narrow Rhine Valley, shaped by countless rugged rocky ridges, offers an impressive landscape—due in no small part to the highly labor‑intensive winegrowing, which is carried out predominantly on steep slopes. The southern part of this unique cultural landscape, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. It forms the heart of the region, with castles perched on the hillsides and villages that evoke a medieval atmosphere at the river’s bends.
In the Bopparder Hamm, the largest contiguous vineyard area on the Middle Rhine stretches for five kilometers along a wide bend in the river. Every year at the end of April, visitors gather here for the "Middle Rhine Wine Spring" to taste the new vintage and simultaneously enjoy the region's spectacular panoramic views. Riesling is the undisputed star of the Middle Rhine Valley: with 271 hectares of vineyards, it accounts for almost two-thirds of the region's total vineyard area.
Overview Mittelrhein
Geographical location: The 65km-stretch of the Middle Rhine Valley between Bonn and Bingen known as "the Rhine Gorge"
Major town(s): Koblenz, Boppard, Oberwesel, Bacharach, Bingen
Climate: The steep hillsides of the valley protect the vines from cold winds and there is ample sunshine. The Rhine serves as a large, heat-reflecting surface.
Soil types: Primarily clayish slate and greywacke
Vineyard area 2025: 439 ha · 2 districts · 11 collective vineyard sites · 100+ individual sites
Grape varieties 2025 [white 84% · red 16%]: Riesling, Spätburgunder, Weißburgunder, Müller-Thurgau
Marketing: About one quarter of the region's wine is produced by seven cooperative cellars. As in the Ahr, nearly all of the wine is consumed by locals or is sold to tourists.
Signposted routes through wine country: The routes B-9 and B-42 (driving) run on either side of and parallel to the Rhine. There are two hillside routes (driving) that offer views: the Rheingoldstraße through the Hunsrück Hills, from Rhens to Niederheimbach, and the Loreley-Burgenstraße through the Taunus Hills, from Kaub to the Loreley and from St. Goarshausen to Kamp-Bornhofen. Two signposed trails (hiking) on either side of the Rhine are the Weinwanderweg, between St. Goar and Trechtingshausen, and the Rhein-Wein-Wanderweg, between Kaub and Kamp-Bornhofen.
Varietals
Quotes
Highlights of wine culture in Mittelrhein
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Highlight Home of Bacchus - Bacharach Old Wine Trading Centre of Bacharach: Home of Roman god Bacchus
Learn more
Winesights
Wine hike Climb Above the Rhine
In all areas of human activity there are sectors that are so demanding that they are commonly referred to as "supreme disciplines".
Contact
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Mittelrhein-Wein e.V.
56346 Sankt Goarshausen- Dolkstraße 19 Rheinland-Pfalz Germany
