Friedrichshafen - Wine Bars

Wherever wine-growing takes place, you’ll definitely find wine taverns too. Most of these regions are in the south-western part of the country. Climatic conditions play a huge role here.

Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse together are home to 11 of Germany’s 13 wine-growing regions. As wine plays such a special role in this area, there are plenty of wine taverns to be found. German wine is enjoyed both across the rest of Germany and around the world.

With their natural charm, wine taverns invite you to linger and enjoy yourself. The atmosphere they create is simply unmistakable. No matter how small the village, if it lies within a wine-growing region, you’ll find a wine tavern there too.

Wine taverns in Friedrichshafen

For those who don’t know what a wine tavern (Weinstube) is, the name alone suggests that wine plays a big part. Everyone can guess what goes on in such a place — after all, the saying "Come on in to the good parlour" is well known to all. A Stube (parlour) is the perfect place for good company, drinking and eating together.

You’ll often find them in centuries-old half-timbered houses, some of which are listed buildings. In rustic vaulted cellars, regional home-style cooking meets cosy get-togethers amid a natural atmosphere.

You can experience this unmistakable atmosphere in Friedrichshafen at Gasthof Krone Hotel & Restaurant.

That said, it should be remembered that, logically, not every wine tavern in the country can be located within a wine region. Where this is the case, a selection of wines is sourced and offered from the wine-growing areas. A couple of approaches are typically used here:

Either all the wines on offer are sourced exclusively from the nearest wine region, or — the second option — wines are selected from several of the 13 wine-growing regions.

Particularly with this geographically driven selection, you’ll often also find wines from abroad on the menu — from newer wine-producing countries such as Argentina, Australia, the USA or South Africa, but also from established wine-producing nations like Italy, France or Spain.

What’s on offer in Friedrichshafen

Regional wines are, of course, guaranteed, especially as most taverns are connected to wine-growing estates. The wines on the wine list are naturally chosen with care, since the wine tavern often has limited space available. What’s served consists of various wines from different wineries. As a result, it’s likely that many a case ends up being taken home by tourists.

Several taverns even dedicate an entirely separate page in their menu to so-called guest wines.

For legal reasons, menus in wine taverns tend to be quite simple. Generally, only dishes that require little preparation may be served alongside wine. This is the case at Weinstube Glückler.

In areas of the French-influenced south-west of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, onion cake (Zwiebelkuchen) and tarte flambée (Flammkuchen) are regional classics on the menu — though only during the grape harvest season, paired with Federweißer, the young wine.

In all the taverns in the Rheingau and Rheinhessen regions in the north-east of Rhineland-Palatinate, you’ll find a cream cheese preparation called Spundekäs, which is often served with hearty bread.

The “blaue Zipfel” (pickled sausage), “angemachte Camembert” (seasoned Camembert) or “Kochkäse” (cooked cheese) are found on menus all along Lake Constance.

In the “Sachsen” wine-growing region, baguette with Griebenschmalz (crackling dripping) is served. It’s known as Fettbemmchen.

In general, you’ll also often find mixed and Mediterranean platters, sausage salad with bread, bacon-wrapped dates and feta cheese. Sausage and cheese platters, also known as Winzerplatte (winegrower’s platter), are common in wine taverns.

Wines for Friedrichshafen

The villages in the wine regions have been shaped by the cultivation of the surrounding vineyards for centuries. Accordingly, the historic village centres delight visitors with lovingly restored half-timbered buildings and romantic little lanes that invite you to linger.

In some cases, only individual buildings are listed, while in others entire village centres are protected. Amid the splendour of the wine villages, though, you shouldn’t forget their surroundings.

Expansive field paths through the vineyards and hiking trails are both romantic and challenging. Depending on the region, you’ll often come across castles, castle ruins and palaces along the way.

When you look out from there over the surrounding landscape, you’ll see forest and a sea of vines: lush green in summer and, in autumn, a mosaic of striking colours — from deep red to rich yellow and orange tones.

Germany’s wine-growing regions

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

Germany’s largest wine-growing region is Rheinhessen, covering around 26,000 hectares. This makes up a good quarter of the country’s total vineyard area (100,000 hectares).

The mild climate and varied soils provide ideal conditions for white wines. The world’s largest area under cultivation for Silvaner is found in Rheinhessen.

The Pfalz wine-growing region is the second largest, at a good 23,000 hectares. White and red wines thrive along the German Wine Route thanks to varied soils and comparatively frequent sunshine. Dornfelder, Müller-Thurgau and Riesling are the preferred varieties grown here.

The Baden wine region (just under 16,000 hectares) is considerably smaller, but nevertheless the longest at 400 kilometres. According to an EU regulation classifying wine-growing zones by climatic characteristics, Baden is the warmest of all German wine regions. Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Blauer Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Grauburgunder/Ruländer (Pinot Gris) — in other words, Burgundy varieties in general — are predominantly grown here.

The red grape varieties Lemberger, Trollinger and Schwarzriesling are found mainly in Württemberg, a wine region covering nearly 11,000 hectares. Rotling, also known as Schillerwein, is the hallmark of this region. It’s made by pressing white and red grapes together. Because of its colour, it’s often mistaken for a rosé wine.

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

Ahr, Franconia, Rheingau and others

The Franconia (Franken) wine region covers around 6,000 hectares. It’s also home to the world’s largest Riesling-growing area. In Franconia, white wine accounts for the majority of the total harvest, at 80%. Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner are the most widely grown varieties here. The Bocksbeutel is well known for this region; higher-quality Franconian wines are bottled in flat, round-bodied bottles with a short neck.

For winemakers, the 4,000-hectare Nahe wine region is a dream. You’ll find around 180 different soil types here, a result of past volcanic activity. This diversity is reflected in the wine too. All types of wine thrive here, whether Müller-Thurgau or Riesling, as well as red wines such as Spätburgunder or Dornfelder.

In the Rheingau wine-growing region, white wine — mainly Riesling — is grown. Riesling accounts for 80% of the wine produced in this 3,000-hectare region. Germany’s largest contiguous vineyard area for Spätburgunder is found here.

The Saale-Unstrut wine region is the larger of the two wine-growing areas located in the new federal states, and also the northernmost of Germany’s wine regions. Rheingau is around 2,200 hectares larger than Saale-Unstrut, which covers exactly 800 hectares. Due to its northern location and the accompanying weather conditions, mainly early to medium-ripening varieties are cultivated, chief among them Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner. White wines make up a good 75% of the total yield.

In the Ahr wine region, almost exclusively red wine is grown — more so than in any other region — despite its small area of just 560 hectares. Spätburgunder thrives here, thanks largely to the slate soil.

Smaller wine-growing regions

Goldriesling: as it’s only grown in Germany within the 500-hectare Saxony (Sachsen) region, it’s truly a rare and noble drop. Saxony is Germany’s easternmost wine-growing region. Grauburgunder and Weißburgunder are also grown here, but Traminer is the standout variety.

Cultivation in the Mittelrhein wine region is very labour-intensive and costly. As the sun shines optimally on the steep terraces, the winemakers’ efforts are well worth it. Riesling accounts for a good 60% of the total yield, as this white variety does particularly well here.

The Hessische Bergstraße is the smallest wine region, covering just 460 hectares. Riesling accounts for nearly half of the total annual yield. However, the small amount of red wine produced in this wine region is also highly regarded everywhere.

That concludes our information on Friedrichshafen and Germany’s 13 wine-growing regions in general. We hope our blog article has helped give you an overview of the country’s wine regions. Enjoy exploring.