Did you know that red wine is only red because, unlike white wine, it is fermented together with the skin of the (red) grapes? This is why it is possible to produce, from the juice of one and the same grape variety, an excellent dark late Pinot Noir and also a fine rosé – by allowing the grape juice to become wine either with or without the grape skins.
This is one of the many interesting facts you will learn if you explore the Baden Wine Route. It is surely the combination of nature, culture, activities, wellness and fine wines which makes the Baden Wine Route interesting both for first-time visitors and people who have been here before. It runs from Baden-Baden, Offenburg, Lahr, Ettenheim to Lörrach. To describe it as “romantic” is no exaggeration. On the slopes, bulging grapes charge themselves up with the sun's energy until the autumn when they are harvested and pressed by the wine-growers.
The sight of these divine fruits really puts you in the mood for a good wine in one of the many winebars with their great atmosphere. Wine cellars invite guests to test both their best vintages and new specialities, and wine festivals are celebrated throughout the entire summer and autumn.
With its 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares) of vineyards, Baden is the third biggest wine-growing region in Germany. And it is, together with Alsace, Champagne, and the Loire valley, one of the premium wine regions in Europe. As the only region in Germany, it has been awarded with the seal of approval “Region B” in the European Union. High standards in view of both general quality and quality tested wines are the final result.
The climate is especially warm and sunny thanks to the protected location on the edge of the Black Forest and the Odenwald region, and the climatically favourable lowlands of the upper Rhine region. With its many types of soil, Baden is particularly suitable for vineyards: from the hot tills at Lake Constance to the tertiary limestone, clay and marl formations, to the coquina and keuper in the Kraichgau and Taubergrund regions. Wide differences in terms of the height, soil and climatic conditions lead to a fascinating variety of grapes. Pinot Noir, Riesling, Gutedel, Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau benefit the most from these conditions. And, of course, our guests who have the chance to taste these excellent wines.
