Rheingau Wine Week, Wiesbaden

The Rheingau Wine Week brings the winemakers of the Rheingau into the heart of Wiesbaden for ten days each August, a tradition the tourist office dates to 1976. At its premiere it had 33 stands on the Schlossplatz, the Mauritiusplatz and part of the pedestrian zone. The next year there were 60.

From 33 stands to the longest wine bar

The tourist office tells the story in a few steps.

1. 1976: 33 stands of wine and sparkling wine.
2. 1977: 60 stands, and soon more than 100.
3. Early 1980s: culinary offerings join the wine, and the number of stands settles at around 120.

The city counts the booths of every kind: wine and snack stands, a sister-city booth, the ESWE water stand, a Lotto Hessen sales stand and a charity stand.

“Gemessen an der Anzahl der Winzerinnen und Winzer und der angebotenen Weine ist die Rheingauer Weinwoche Wiesbaden das größte der WICM als Veranstalter bekannte Weinfest der Welt” (measured by its winemakers and wines, the largest wine festival in the world known to WICM, its organiser), says the city of Wiesbaden.

Between the City Hall, the church and the palace

For the city, the Wine Week owes its charm to its wines and, above all, to its setting: the squares between City Hall, the Marktkirche and the palace, the Stadtschloss that houses the state parliament of Hesse.

• Three stages: in front of City Hall, at the Marktkirche and on the Dern’sches Gelände, with a range of bands.
• For everyone: the tourist office describes “a cheerful and attractive event for all generations”.