Pfalz, located between forested Haardt Mountains and the Rhine plain and extending to the French border, has the distinction of being Germany’s forefront red wine region. Whites constitute the cornerstone with 67.5% of wine production but reds make up 34.3% in this 23,684 hectares of wine country. We always make sure we have a glass or two of red when local, especially the dry, richly-colored and complex Dornfelder which has been causing a stir for a few years now.
Rieslings, dry and full bodied with teasing acidity, reign with nearly a quarter of plantings. Pfalz is also home to growing plantings of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Kerner and Morio-Muskat also find a welcome place to grow as do international varietals Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Reds thrive in Pfalz too. As well as Dornfelder, we enjoy a glass of Weissherbst or rosé from the vibrant Portugieser grape, a juicy Pinot Noir or well-structured Regent.
The second largest of Germany’s wine growing regions, constitutes two areas, Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstrasse and Südliche Weinstrasse. Vines flourish in a range of sandstone, loam, chalk, clay and sandy soils all smiled on by plentiful sunlight.
Pfalz is the perfect spot for anyone who wants to celebrate wine. The town of Bad Dürkheim hosts one of the world’s biggest wine festivals in September and visitors also flock to the region to walk the Deutsche Weinstraße wine route. This runs for more than 85 kilometers connecting 130 wine-producing towns across a charming, sweeping landscape between Bockenheim and Schweigen on Alsace’s border.
From spring through late fall wine events abound. We have had loads of fun here, especially in August at the Deutsche Weinstrasse Erlebnistag when 85 kilometers of road are closed for a seemingly never-ending local wine and food fest. As you taste our splendid Pfalz wines, that just leaves us to say, Prost!