Culinary Delights
Culinary Delights
“You will be served where the branches are hanging": The Rheingau vintners hang branches at the front door to welcome the locals and their guests into their wine taverns. An invitation to enjoy a glass of wine, chat, and relax. Forget the daily grind, lean back, and leave your worries behind.
But the region has much more to offer than good wine. Numerous restaurants offer a wide choice of culinary delights from Rheingau specialties to international cuisine. Culinary and cultural events as well as numerous traditional festivals and wine markets complement the wide variety and let you feel the warmth and hospitality of the region.
Typical dishes are: Spundekaes (cream cheese mixed with onions and spices), Lauchtorte (leek tart), Wisperforelle (fresh trout from the Wisper River, which flows down the Taunus Mountains into the Rhine River).
Rhine food specialties entice the palate – from hearty fare to fine cuisine. Choose for yourself – do you prefer the cozy atmosphere of a wine tavern or the posh ambience of an elegant restaurant? Special highlights are Rheingauer Schlemmerwochen (Rheingau Gourmet Weeks) in May or the Glorreiche Rheingautage (Glorious Rheingau Days) in November.
- Go to https://www.eltville.de/freizeit-tourismus/erleben-entdecken/geniessen-schlemmen/gastronomie for a complete list of restaurants in Eltville and its surrounding wine villages (in German language)
The perfection of Riesling
Riesling wines are valued as being the finest and most fascinating of all the white wines in the world. The Riesling grape is exclusively cultivated in moderate climatic zones. Undisputedly one of the finest wine-growing areas, the Rheingau outshines all its neighbouring regions. This is where the Riesling grape is grown to perfection on and around the famous slopes of Eltville.
- Go to https://www.eltville.de/freizeit-tourismus/erleben-entdecken/geniessen-schlemmen/weingueter-und-vinotheken for a list of wintner's and wine bars (in German language)
City of Sparkling Wine
Matheus Müller (MM, today Rotkäppchen-Mumm) was one of the region’s first to produce sparkling wine (Sekt) using the Méthode champenoise. MM Extra is one of the best-known sparkling wine brands in Germany.
Eltville’s second major sparkling wine producer is Schloss Vaux. Founded in Berlin in 1868, it today processes the harvest of the best Rheingau vineyards to create its premium sparkling wines of exclusive quality. The city’s sparkling wine industry is complemented by several local winegrowers who produce their own distinctive cuvées.
Wine tasting stands - opening hours
Five Wine tasting stands at beautiful locations invite you to enjoy the Rheingau wines in casual settings:
- Eltville, Rhine River promenade: Summer: Mid March through October: Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m., Saturday from 3:00 p.m. and Sunday/holidays from 11:00 a.m. / Winter Opening: November through December: Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m., Sunday/ holidays from 1 p.m.
- Hattenheim, Rhine River bank: April through October / Monday through Friday from 6:00 p.m., Saturday from 4:00 p.m. and Sunday/holidays from at 11:00 a.m.
- Erbach, at the parking area Rheinallee: April through October / Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m., Sunday/holidays from11:00 a.m.
- Martinsthal, next to the playground Walluftal: May to early October / Fridays and Saturdays from 5:00 p.m., Sunday/holidays from 11:00 a.m.
- Rauenthal, Weinbergstrasse direction Bubenhäuser Höhe: March through November / Wednesday through Friday from 4:00 p.m., Saturday from 4:00 p.m., Sunday/holidays from 1:00 p.m.