See also:
The Mainz Wine Amazones - Christine Huff, Mirjam Schneider and Eva Vollmer - in New York City, USA
In the Glass: Mirjam Schneider's 2007 Merlot No.2 from Rheinhessen, Germany
International Women's Day 2012: Meeting the Wine Amazones Tina Huff, Mirjam Schneider and Eva Vollmer of Mainz, Germany
In August 2013, I participated in the 2013 German Wine and Culture Tour, organized by Annette Schiller (Ombiasy Wine Tours). The tour ended in Mainz in Rheinhessen the day when the 2013 Mainz Wine Market was opened. The group took advantage of this and went to the opening of the event.
Mainz Wine Market
Every year Mainz’s Rosengarten and Volkspark are the sites for the Wine Market - the last weekend in August and the first weekend in September. It’s a great chance to meet many winemakers from the region, discover new wines and simply have fun on a fine summer day.
Mainz in Rheinhessen
Mainz belongs to Rheinhessen, which is with 27.000 hectares the largest viticultural region in Germany. Every fourth bottle of German wine comes from Rheinhessen. The high-yielder Mueller-Thurgau accounts for about 1/5 of the vineyards. Rheinhessen also has the rather dubious honor of being considered the birthplace of Liebfraumilch.
At the same time, Rheinhessen is among Germany’s most interesting wine regions. A lot is happening there. There is an increasing group of mostly young and ambitious winemakers – led by Klaus Peter Keller and Philipp Wittmann - who want to produce and indeed do produce outstanding wine and not wines in large quantities.
See also:
International Women's Day 2012: Meeting the Wine Amazones Tina Huff, Mirjam Schneider and Eva Vollmer of Mainz, Germany
The 31-Days-of-German-Riesling Concert Cruise Around New York Harbor with the German Wine Queen Julia Bertram and the 3 Wine Amazones Tina Huff, Eva Vollmer and Mirjam Schneider from Mainz, Germany
Traditionally, white grape varieties dominate (3/4), such as Silvaner and Mueller-Thurgau, although Riesling is increasingly being planted, and, recently, Chardonnay. As for red grape varieties (1/4), Dornfelder and Portugieser are the most popular grapes, but winemakers have started to experiment with international grape varieties like Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.
See also:
Impressions from the Rheingau Wine Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany (2013)
Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with an Erstes Gewaechs Wine
Wine Capital
Mainz is one of the 8 wine capitals of the world, along with: Bordeaux (France), Bilbao-Rioja (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Florence (Italy), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto (Portugal) and San Francisco-Napa Valley (USA).
Wine has been made in Mainz since Roman times. Today, most of the winemakers are located in 3 suburbs of Mainz: Mainz-Laubenheim, Mainz-Ebersheim and Mainz-Hechtsheim.
Wine Taverns
Although Mainz is one of the 8 wine capitals of the world, there is not a single wine bar in Mainz, as I know them from London, New York City, Berlin or Washington DC. However, there are a large number of wine taverns in Mainz.
Typically, wine taverns do not have an elaborated list of wines, nor do they serve fancy and sophisticated food. They serve local wines, at very reasonable prices, typically from a handful of local winemakers that you do not find in the wine guides such as the Gault Millau.
See also:
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
schiller-wine: Related Postings
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
Winemaker Eva Vollmer is Germany’s Discovery of the Year 2010
Weinfest im Kirchenstueck: Meeting the Winemakers of Mainz-Hechtsheim and Tasting Their Wines, Germany
In the Glass: Mirjam Schneider's 2007 Merlot No.2 from Rheinhessen, Germany
International Women's Day 2012: Meeting the Wine Amazones Tina Huff, Mirjam Schneider and Eva Vollmer of Mainz, Germany
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Wine and Culture Tour to Germany Coming up in August 2013
Summer of Riesling with Annette and Christian Schiller in Washington DC, USA
The 31-Days-of-German-Riesling Concert Cruise Around New York Harbor with the German Wine Queen Julia Bertram and the 3 Wine Amazones Tina Huff, Eva Vollmer and Mirjam Schneider from Mainz, Germany
Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with an Erstes Gewaechs Wine
Impressions from the Rheingau Wine Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany (2013)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany