Mittelrhein

The Mittelrhein stretches some 110 kilometres along the Rhine – from Bingen and Trechtingshausen via Bacharach, Oberwesel, St. Goar and Boppard to Koblenz, then on via Leutesdorf, Hammerstein and Unkel to the Siebengebirge near Bonn. It is the northernmost Riesling region on the Rhine and one of Germany's smallest.

Viticulture clings to terraces of Devonian slate, quartzite and greywacke, often workable only by winch or monorail. The slopes face south and south-west, and the river stores heat and reflects light – without it, winegrowing at this latitude would hardly be possible. Bacharach (Hahn, Posten, Wolfshöhle), Oberwesel (Oelsberg), Boppard (Hamm with Feuerlay, Mandelstein, Ohlenberg) and Spay are the Riesling centres; in the Siebengebirge and around Leutesdorf Pinot Noir also plays a role.

Stylistically the wines sit between Mosel and Rheingau: lean, racy, with slate spice and stone fruit, often balanced by fine residual sweetness. Toni Jost, Ratzenberger, Weingart, Matthias Müller and Lanius-Knab lead a region that, after decades of decline, is attracting young estates again.

For travellers the Mittelrhein is unique: the Rheinsteig and Rheinburgenweg trails run straight through the vineyards, castles such as Stahleck, Rheinfels and Marksburg overlook the sites, and river boats link the wine villages.