Sitting down to join others has a long tradition in Mainz wine taverns. Because here people like moving closer together, talking shop over a glass of wine or swapping the latest Mainz gossip. Mainz is Germany’s wine capital. Nowhere else are there so many wine taverns, winegrowers’ estates, wine festivals and wine-tastings as in and around Mainz.

Embedded between two of Germany’s most renowned wine regions, the Rheingau to the north and Rhine-Hesse to the south, the city is an ideal starting point for tours of winegrowers, wine rambles and culinary expeditions. The Mainz producers of sparkling wine, Sekt, Kupferberg and Goldhand, hold veritable treasures in their barrel cellars. The oldest parts of the cellars are of Roman origin. They recall the fact that it was the Romans who once planted the first vines here by the Rhine 2000 years ago. Since then, the love for the delicious juice of the grape has developed as in hardly any other German city. Everywhere, snug wine taverns invite you to stop by: The Dornfelders, Rieslings and Silvaners of the region simply taste especially fine with “Weck und Worscht” (roll and sausage) or “Spundekäs” (a spicy creamed cheese)!

With over 26,000 hectares of vines, the region in the triangle of Mainz, Bingen and Worms is Germany’s largest wine-growing area. In the wine-growing families in Rhine-Hesse, the trade of winegrower is often passed on from generation to generation. But what does ’trade’ mean ? Passion is probably more correct for the winegrower’s special relationship to his wines. He has something to offer for every taste and every purse, whether Riesling, Silvaner, Burgunder or Portugieser, whether dry, semi-dry or medium- sweet wines. Some of Germany’s finest Rieslings grow in the region around Nackenheim, Nierstein and Oppenheim. And Ingelheim has made a name for itself far beyond the state boundaries as a red wine stronghold.

Now anyone wanting to sample the wines of Rhine-Hesse does not necessarily have to travel across the countryside. Even if it is well worth doing so. Because, once a year, the winegrowers from the surrounding region come into the city to the Mainz Wine Fair, bringing their delicious products with them. On the last weekend in August and first one in September, it is then possible to sample to one’s heart’s content. The special feature: the popular wine rendezvous takes place, very romantically, in the shade of the trees in the Volkspark and Rose Garden.

The people of Mainz and their guests celebrate the beginning of the wine season outdoors. And once again really take their leave of summer. The Wine Fair is the prelude for many wine festivals in the region. Because the autumn now begins, synonymous with the grape harvest in Rhine-Hesse: For guests a period particularly full of atmosphere for getting to know the countryside and the people. But, don’t worry: Experiencing wine is always in season in Mainz ! Many vinotheques and inns in the old part of Mainz have specialised in wines from the region. There it is possible to compare different growers, vintages, grape varieties and locations outstandingly well.

Fine and useful items all around the enjoyment of wine are to be found in Mainz shops – as a small souvenir or memento of a city for which wine and wine culture are inseparably linked together. On the opposite side of the Rhine there is a small, but important wine-growing area for connoisseurs: the Rhinegau. Famous Rhinegau estates, such as Eberbach Monastery, Johannisberg Castle and Vollrads Castle are just a stone’s throw away from Mainz. Goethe already liked to sojourn in this region, enjoying the wonderful view across the Rhine valley in addition to the wines. And even Otto von Bismarck, not otherwise exactly known for his romantic streak, wrote to his wife from Johannisberg Castle: “I like to tarry here awhile, because here you may dream.”