Alzeyer Winzerfest: Experience Rheinhessen hospitality
Traditional wine festival in picturesque old town
On the edge of the Palatinate in the hills of Rheinhessen, the annual winegrowers’ festival takes place in Alzey just in time for the start of autumn. The time of the grape harvest is celebrated over five days in the ‘secret capital of Rheinhessen’. There is a castle and historic half-timbered houses in the idyllic old town. In addition to a cosy wine village and a wine and champagne terrace, you will also find numerous stalls and fairground rides. Highlights of the Alzey Wine Festival include the opening ceremony with the Alzey Wine Queen. Another highlight is the prestigious wine tasting. Every year, the town’s wine culture prize is awarded to a prominent personality. The programme of the Alzey Wine Festival also includes musical performances, a day of businesses and a family day.
Extra tip: If you want to stay a little longer in the region, don’t miss the popular vineyard cottage hike. This hike always takes place two weeks before the festival. Here you can explore the vineyards outside the town via a beautiful hiking route. You can stop off at the vineyard cottages along the way to sample wine and small Rheinhessen delicacies.
Off to the traditional Dürkheim sausage market
Pushcart stalls, literary morning pint & more
The Bad Dürkheim sausage market is certainly one of the most famous wine festivals in the Palatinate. The traditional festival attracts numerous visitors every year. It offers market stalls, rides and fairground rides. There are also 12 wine stands and four catering tents. The wine village with its large selection of red wine, white wine and sparkling wine and the historic Schubkarch stands are particularly popular. Here you sit on narrow wooden benches at long tables close to other guests. The name is reminiscent of the old days when winegrowers transported their wines on wheelbarrows at the Dürkheim sausage market. The literary morning pint is something very special at the Bad Dürkheim wine festival. Here you can listen to talks in Palatinate dialect at an early hour. You can enjoy a good drop of wine and the original Palatinate way of life. If you still need some exercise after so much wine, you can take a detour to the Bad Dürkheim spa gardens. A highlight here is the impressive graduation tower, which emits soothing salty air from a healing spring.
Art, culture and enjoyment at the Deidesheim Weinkerwe
Feasting & wine tasting in the ‘Woigass’
For the duration of the Deidesheim Weinkerwe, everything comes to a standstill in the famous wine village, including the traffic. After the coronation of the wine majesty and the erection of the Kerwe tree, the festival is officially opened with the grand Riesling wine tasting. At the popular Deidesheim Wine Festival, numerous wineries along the traditionally well-attended ‘Woigass’ are open to visitors. You can not only sample good wine and delicious food in the courtyards. There is usually also an entertaining musical programme. The Deidesheim artists’ galleries, which are open during the festival, are also worth a visit. Here you can admire sculptures, paintings or goldsmith’s work in various studios. Rides and fairground rides for young and old can also be found at the popular folk festival. The festivities in picturesque Deidesheim come to an end with the dismantling of the Kerwe tree.
The festival of festivals: Neustadt German grape harvest festival
Coronation venue of the German Wine Queen
A varied stage programme is also offered here. The German Grape Harvest Festival is also particularly well-known for the fact that the Palatinate and German Wine Queens are officially crowned here in a festive event.
If you are staying a little longer in the Palatinate, you should visit one of Germany’s most famous sights. It is located near Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Hambach Castle can be seen from afar, slightly elevated on the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic building is considered the cradle of German democracy. An interesting exhibition and a cultural and educational programme provide visitors with fascinating facts about the historic Hambach Festival.
Palatinate cosiness at the Rhodt Festival of the New Wine
Explore wineries in the heart of the German Wine Route
The arrival of the new wine is also traditionally celebrated every year in the wine village of Rhodt unter Rietburg. At the Rhodt Wine Festival, everything centres on the winegrowers’ farms along the Weinstrasse and Theresienstrasse. Here you can discover the picturesque farms and taste a variety of wines as well as well-known Palatinate specialities. If you need some exercise in between, you can shake a leg at one of the many musical performances. The Rhodt unter Rietburg Wine Festival emphasises the diversity of its offerings. You can also visit an art exhibition and a craft market and admire the works of local artists. The event is considered one of the most cosy wine festivals in the region.
Festival of Federweißen Landau in der Pfalz: Meeting point market square
Landau celebrates the new wine
At the beginning of autumn, it traditionally gets crowded in Landau‘s city centre: around 100,000 visitors celebrate the popular Federweißen festival. Around the market square in the heart of the city centre, you will find a wine and sparkling wine pavilion as well as six wine booths offering wines from local winegrowers. Of course, the rustic Landau Wine Festival also caters for your physical well-being. In addition to hearty Palatinate food, the menu includes tarte flambée, chestnuts and steamed dumplings. The centrepiece of the festival is, of course, Federweißer in Landau – the new wine of the season. The offer is complemented by a great stage programme and an open Sunday. And if you can’t get enough of the Palatinate way of life, make a detour to the nearby Madenburg. The old castle ruins are one of the largest and oldest complexes in the Palatinate and, with its catered castle pub, a beautiful excursion destination in Germany.
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