Our Top Wine Bar Picks in Essen

You'll find wine bars wherever there are wine-growing estates. Most of Germany's wine bars are located in the south-west of the country. The climatic conditions are the reason for this.

11 of the total 13 German wine-growing regions are located in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. Wine holds particular significance in this region, which is why you'll find several wine bars here. German wines are enjoyed not only across the rest of the world but also throughout the rest of Germany.

Since wine bars have a very rustic charm, they're great places to enjoy yourself and linger. The atmosphere they exude is simply unmistakable. In a wine-growing region, you'll find a wine bar everywhere, no matter how small the village.

The Wine Bar

But what exactly do you do in a wine bar? Well, as the first half of the word suggests, wine plays a key role above all. And what you do in a ‘Stube’ (parlour), we can all imagine - ‘Come into the good parlour’ is a familiar saying to us all. A parlour is a place for socialising, eating and drinking together.

Wine bars are often found in centuries-old timber-framed houses, most of which are listed buildings. Regional home-style cooking meets cosy get-togethers in rustic vaulted cellars amid a charming atmosphere.

Nevertheless, it should also be mentioned that, logically, not every wine bar in the country can be located within a wine-growing region. Where this is the case, a selection of wines is sourced from the wine-growing regions and served. Different approaches can be taken here:

Either wines are sourced from the nearest wine region, or - the second option - wines are selected from more than one of the 13 wine regions.

Particularly with this geographically influenced selection, wines from abroad are also frequently found on the wine list - be it from newer wine-producing countries such as South Africa, the USA, Australia or Argentina, or from established wine-producing countries such as Spain, France or Italy.

What's on Offer in Essen

Most wine bars work together with wine-growing estates, which means serving the estate's own wine is standard practice! The wines on the list are, of course, carefully selected, as wine bars often have limited space available. Nevertheless, serving one's own wine in other establishments is common practice. This raises the wine's profile, and tourists are estimated to take one or two boxes home with them.

At some wine bars, guest wines even get their own page on the wine list.

In wine bars, the range of dishes on offer is fairly limited - this is for legal reasons. Only dishes that require little preparation may be served alongside wine. This is the case, for example, at OSTERIA DA PANDI.

In the south-west of Rhineland-Palatinate, which has been shaped by French influence, and in small parts of Hesse, onion tart and Flammkuchen (tarte flambée) - the latter only during harvest time, served with so-called Federweißer, a young wine - are among the regional classics on the menu.

In all the wine bars of the Rheinhessen and Rheingau regions in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, you'll find a soft cheese preparation called Spundekäs, usually served with hearty bread.

In Franconia, more specifically along the Main, ‘blaue Zipfel’, ‘angemachter Camembert’ or ‘Kochkäse’ feature on the menu.

In the ‘Saxony’ wine-growing region, baguette with Griebenschmalz (pork dripping) is served. It's known as Fettbemmchen.

Generally, you'll also often find mixed and Mediterranean platters, sausage salad with bread, bacon-wrapped dates and feta cheese. The Winzerplatte, a platter of cold meats and cheese, is likewise a firm favourite in wine bars.

Wine in Essen

The villages in the wine regions have been shaped by the cultivation of the surrounding vineyards for centuries. The village centres, with their charming little lanes, invite you to stroll and delight with their lovingly restored timber-framed buildings.

Many of these have listed status, whether for individual buildings or even the entire village centre. Amid the beauty of the wine villages, however, one shouldn't forget the surrounding countryside.

Extensive field paths through the vineyards and hiking trails are both challenging and romantic. There are many castle ruins, palaces and castles along the way.

Often you can look out over the surrounding landscape from them - a sea of vines, and frequently woodland: lush green in summer and, in autumn, a mosaic of magnificent colours - from deep red to rich yellow and orange tones.

Germany's Wine-Growing Regions

As already mentioned, most of the wine-growing regions are located in the south-west of Germany. All the wine regions lie in Hesse, Baden-Württemberg or Rhineland-Palatinate - apart from Saale-Unstrut and Saxony. Why are the individual regions so special? Which wine region produces the best red or white wine? And what makes, for example, Goldriesling so special? Here's our overview:

The largest wine-growing area in Germany is Rheinhessen, covering around 26,000 hectares. This makes up a good quarter of Germany's total area of 100,000 hectares.

Thanks to the mild climate and varied soils, conditions there are ideal for white grape varieties. The world's largest cultivation area for Silvaner is located in Rheinhessen.

The Palatinate is the second largest, with a good 23,000 hectares. White and red wines grow along the German Wine Route thanks to the consistently mild climate and varied soils. The grape varieties Dornfelder, Müller-Thurgau and Riesling are the preferred varieties grown here.

Baden is the longest of all German wine-growing regions. However, at almost 16,000 hectares, it's considerably smaller. According to an EU regulation dividing wine regions into seven zones based on climatic characteristics, Baden is the warmest of all wine regions in Germany. Primarily Pinot Noir (Blauer Spätburgunder), Pinot Blanc (Weißburgunder) and Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder/Ruländer) are grown, in other words, Burgundy-style wines in general.

Württemberg is a wine-growing region of around 11,000 hectares, where the red grape varieties Schwarzriesling, Trollinger and Lemberger are cultivated. In this region, Schillerwein, also known as Rotling, is the speciality. White and red grapes must be pressed together to produce this wine. It's often mistaken for a rosé due to its colour.

The Mosel, the largest steep-slope wine-growing region in the world, covers around 9,000 hectares and is home to the steepest vineyard in the world, with a gradient of a staggering 65 degrees.

Franconia, Rheingau, Ahr and Others

The Franconia wine-growing region covers an area of 6,000 hectares. It's also home to the world's largest Riesling cultivation area. 80% of the vineyard area in the Franconia region consists of white wine. The most commonly grown varieties are Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner. Very well known for this region is the so-called Bocksbeutel, a squat, flat bottle with a short neck used for bottling higher-quality wines.

For winemakers, the 4,000-hectare Nahe wine region is a real Eldorado. Here you'll find around 180 different soil types, due to past volcanic activity. This diversity is reflected in the wine. Both white wines such as Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, and red wines such as Dornfelder and Spätburgunder, thrive here.

In the Rheingau wine-growing area, white wine, predominantly Riesling, is cultivated. Riesling accounts for 80% of the wine produced in this 3,000-hectare region. This is where Germany's largest contiguous cultivation area for Spätburgunder is located.

The Saale-Unstrut wine region is the larger of the two wine-growing areas located in the new federal states. At the same time, it's considered the northernmost of the German wine-growing regions. Rheingau is around 2,200 hectares larger than Saale-Unstrut. This means Saale-Unstrut covers almost exactly 800 hectares. Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner are mainly cultivated there, as the weather conditions associated with this northerly location favour predominantly early to medium-ripening grape varieties. Three-quarters of the total yield consists of wines from light-coloured grapes.

On the small area of around 560 hectares in the Ahr wine-growing region, almost exclusively red wines are produced - more than in any other wine region in Germany. Thanks to the slate rock in the soil, it's an excellent starting point for top-quality wines, particularly Spätburgunder.

Small Wine-Growing Regions

Goldriesling is grown exclusively in Saxony, which covers around 500 hectares, making it a rarity. Saxony is the easternmost region in Germany. Alongside the distinctive Goldriesling, Traminer is mainly cultivated, as well as Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris (Weiß- und Grauburgunder).

In the Mittelrhein wine-growing region, cultivation is very labour-intensive and costly. But the effort pays off for the winemakers, as the sun shines ideally on the steep terraces. This is particularly beneficial for Riesling, which accounts for almost 70% of the total yield of this white wine.

The Hessische Bergstraße is the smallest wine-growing region, covering just 460 hectares. Nearly 50% of the annual total yield is attributed to Riesling. The small amount of red wine from this region is, however, also highly valued everywhere.

That concludes our general information on the 13 German wine regions and Essen in general. We hope this blog article has helped you gain an overview of the wine-growing regions. Enjoy your exploration.