Best Vineyard Views

The Sondersberg Viewpoint, which rises above the wine-growing village of Dernau, offers spectacular views of the Ahr Valley. Dernau’s oldest wine estate, the Schlosshof, had the viewing platform built on the Sondersberg, in the middle of the Schieferlay location.

The point where the Black Forest meets the Rhine Valley is also the place where the Rebland wine region sprawls around the town of Kappelrodeck, and where the Dasenstein soars up: Centuries ago, a beautiful damsel, the daughter of Rodeck Castle’s owner, fell in love with a poor farmer’s son.

The Terroir f lookout point at Iphofen’s Schwanberg was named the Best Vineyard View in Franken for 2016 by Wines of Germany. In addition to its spectacular view, Terroir f at Iphofen’s famous Julius-Echter-Berg vineyard also offers interesting insights into the world of wine – from the Franconian wine region to distant wine-growing regions, including those in North America or South Africa.

A map at the “Gute Zeit, böse Zeit” fountain in Heppenheim provides information on all the vineyards in the Hessische Bergstraße region, particularly the Heppenheimer Eckweg vineyard, which forms part of the larger Heppenheimer Schlossberg estate. The Eckweg was officially documented as early as the year 1200.

Perched high above the wine village of Kiedrich, the distinctive keep of the Scharfenstein Castle ruins towers over the grapevines. A hiking trail leads from the town through the Kiedrich brook valley and up to the ruins.

The Hiwweltour Heideblick certified quality hiking trail takes you from Siefersheim to the Winzeralm vineyard, where you can sit on traditional wooden benches and large loungers and enjoy not only the Best Vineyard View in the Rheinhessen Region for 2016, but also wines, grape juice, and snacks from Siefersheim’s Weingut Zimmermann winery.

The Krahnenberg is the local hill in the town of Andernach. It owes its name to the Old Krahnen, a historic tower crane on the shores of the Rhine, which was in operation until 1911, primarily to load millstones, tuff, and wine. The hiking trail to the vineyard view passes from here through the Andernacher Stadtwald forest and up to the lookout point on the Krahnenberg.

The section of the Moselsteig longdistance hiking trail from Leiwen to Neumagen-Dhron circles the Mosel River Loop near Trittenheim. Following varied paths over rocks and streams, and through vineyards and forests, the trail also passes by the Zummethöhe. The Best Vineyard View in the Mosel for 2016 is a superb vista over the Mosel River Loop and the wine-growing towns of the Middle Mosel.

Wines of Germany elected the area between Idar-Oberstein and Bad Kreuznach, providing views over the Meddersheim vineyards of Altenberg, Edelberg, and Rheingrafenberg, the Best Vineyard View in the Nahe wine-growing region for 2016.

The northernmost point of Germany’s wine-growing region, between the Saale River and Süßer See lake, is home to the wine-growing town of Höhnstedt. Heading through its small vineyards, which predominantly grow classic grape varieties like Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, and Weissburgunder, you arrive at the Höhnstedter Kelterberg winery, where the view over the Höhnstedter Kreisberg was named the Best Vineyard View in the Saale-Unstrut Region for 2016.

The Hessigheimer Felsengärten (Hessigheim rock gardens) nature reserve, also popularly known as the Swabian Dolomites for their spectacular shape, is a veritable patch of wilderness in the vineyards. With its steep rock faces, it is a paradise for fit hikers – whereas climbing is strictly forbidden – and also made the selection to become Württemberg’s Best Vineyard View for 2016.

The Altenahrer Eck vineyard is named after the Ekka castle complex, which was razed to the ground in 1249. At its western end, the vineyard borders onto the ruins of Are Castle, while its eastern boundary is formed by the Ravenley, a striking rock formation above the Altenahr district of Reimerzhoven. The terraced vineyards are particularly steep here, but their weathered shale and greywacke soils produce outstanding wines.

The hike to the Best Vineyard View in Baden for 2012 takes you along the Weinkundeweg wine trail, through Spätburgunder vines to the Lerchenberg memorial, which provides sweeping panoramic views of the glittering Lake Constance and its Mainau Island, the city of Konstanz and the mountains of Austria and Switzerland.

Head up through the Schlossberg, Reitsteig, and Kirchberg wineries to the Best Vineyard View in Franken for 2012. The view from up here sweeps over the slope on which Germany’s first Silvaner grape grew in 1569. On the right-hand side is the present-day chestnut hill, formerly an outer bailey, as well as the roots of the former Gerichtslinde or “court linden tree,” estimated to be around 400 years old.

From Heppenheim, head up into the vineyards along three different themed routes – the Weinlagenwanderweg, Blütenweg and the Wein und Stein Erlebnispfad - hiking through the vineyards of the Hessische Bergstraße region, and past many small wineries. A striking stele at the Bensheimer Paulus vineyard marks the Best Vineyard View in the Hessische Bergstraße region for 2012.

The picture-postcard scenery around Rhodt, an enchanting wine-growing town with chestnut-lined streets, was named the Best Vineyard View in the Palatinate Region for 2012. The lookout point marked by the stele provides a breathtaking panoramic view.                                  

Ever since being named one of Germany’s Best Vineyard Views, the spectacular vista from the Rothenberg has been enjoyed by an increasing number of people. The peaks of the Taunus soar up in the north, while the view up the Rhine covers Schloss Johannisberg and the vineyards of Wiesbaden and Mainz.

The Best Vineyard View in the Rheinhessen Region for 2012 can be found on Nierstein’s Brudersberg. In clear weather, the view extends east ward over the Hessian Ried region as far as Frankfurt, north-eastward to the Taunus Mountains with the Großer Feldberg, and south-eastward over the Rhine River Loop near Oppenheim as far as the Odenwald with the Melibokus hill.

The Wingertshäusje in Leutesdorf is located right on the steep slopes of the Andernacher Pforte – the narrow point of the valley where the Rhine, flowing from the Neuwied Basin, bursts through the rocks and wends its way north. Few other places showcase the typical Middle Rhine landscape in as concentrated a form as the Best Vineyard View in the Mittelrhein Region for 2012.

Since 2007, the Mosel wine-growing region has also included the vineyards in the Saar and Ruwer valleys. This explains why Wines of Germany named the area around the Saar River Loop between Wiltingen and Kanzem the Mosel Region’s Best Vineyard View in 2012.