Mittelrhein 2019-2020: A Misunderstood Region Shows Its Mettle

BY DAVID SCHILDKNECHT | JULY 28, 2022

With only a small number of well-known estates, it is easy to overlook the viticultural significance of one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. That would be an unfortunate mistake. Mittelrhein's producers are turning out high quality wines that showcase a wide variety of styles.

The Ratzenbergers craft one of the region’s consistently finest dry wines from these steep slate-rich slopes in Bacharach’s Wolfshöhle.

Beating the Heat

Germany’s second-smallest official wine region is also its most northerly other than those of former East Germany, and so it’s often mistakenly thought to feature a relatively cool climate by Riesling standards. But the most prominent slate slopes here are heat traps, and recent developments vividly reflect the challenges posed by global warming. When Florian Weingart planted one such spot with Pinot Noir early this century, it was in large part because he felt the slope in question would be too warm to yield consistently balanced Riesling. Since then, he has struggled to keep that Pinot Noir from significantly exceeding 14% alcohol.