If you are after a glass of good red, head to Württemberg. We will happily meet you there! This region covers 11,394 hectares with more than two thirds given over to red varietals.

Trollinger, a rare find outside Württemberg, is the go-to red in this mild climate region covering 18.3% of vines. This red wine is even called the Württemberg’s national drink, widely enjoyed for its fragrant, light, fruity style and pleasing drinkability on its own or with a light snack. Each year, local town Heilbronn even holds a Trollinger Marathon. Spicy, tannic Lemberger (aka Blaufränkisch) is also widely grown along with Schwarzriesling (aka Meunier and no relation to Riesling at all) which makes an intriguing alternative to Spätburgunder wines also produced in Württemberg. In contrast to the easy drinking Trollinger, these reds are crafted for pairing with fine cuisine. White production is led by concentrated, expressive Rieslings. Müller-Thurgau and Kerner are also local favorites.

One of the local wine highlights is Schiller wine, a rosé which is made from blending red and white grapes before fermentation instead of achieving that lovely pink hue through maceration. By the way, the fact that it has the same name as the famous Württemberg poet Friedrich Schiller is nothing more than a coincidence.

Vintners, who have the charming name of vine dressers in Württemberg, grow their vines in steep, sloping vineyards along the Neckar River and its tributaries, the Rems, Enz, Kocher, Jagst and Tauber. Vineyards are concentrated in the Middle Neckar and close to Lake Constance in the south. The Black Forest hills and Swabian Jura offer warming protection to the area’s vines.

Worth travelling along is the 500 km Württemberger Wine Route along the Neckar. We always make sure we visit one of the region’s numerous wine festivals with the biggest and best known held in Heilbronn each year. Prepare to become poetic after a glass of local wine; Württemberg is famed for its philosophers and poets!