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    Rheingau

    Germany

    Where the Rhine bends at Wiesbaden, Riesling takes the slopes that face the sun.

    30–50° N30–50° SequatorRheingau
    Vineyard area
    3 117 ha (2025)1
    Country
    Germany
    Rocks in the profile
    loess, slate

    A south-facing bank

    The Rhine normally flows north, but at Wiesbaden it bends, and the Rheingau's vineyards lie on its slopes.1 In 2025 the vineyards covered 3,117 hectares.1

    Loess, quartzite and slate

    The Rheingau lies largely in the Mainz Basin, which was filled with sands, clays, marls and limestones.2 Loess or sandy loess is the main parent material, and on it deep, nutrient-rich soils with a balanced water regime develop.2 Between Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen shallow, stony soils form over Taunus quartzite.2 On the Taunus side the bedrock is phyllite, sericite gneiss and slate of the Rhenish Massif, and on steep slopes this fresh rock was left exposed.2

    loessslatesouth
    Schematic profile based on the sources, not to scale.

    Riesling and Spätburgunder

    Riesling grows on 2,355 hectares, about three quarters of the area, and does particularly well on the dry, stony south-facing slopes.1 Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) covers about 390 hectares, and Assmannshausen is known above all for it.1 The region is also home to the former Cistercian abbey of Kloster Eberbach.1

    Timeline

    1. 1775

      Johannisberg monastery discovers the advantage of a late harvest.1

    Grapes

    Soils

    Sources

    1. Anbaugebiet Rheingau. Deutsches Weininstitut (DWI), 2025. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    2. Die Böden und ihre Verbreitung in den hessischen Weinbaugebieten (K. Friedrich, K.-J. Sabel). Hessisches Landesamt für Naturschutz, Umwelt und Geologie (HLNUG). level 4 · checked 2026-10-13