German wine tourism at the last minute

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
1

Greetings all,

Last minute time off available, flying into Frankfurt and leaving 5 days later. We’re thinking of renting a car/van and driving to a picturesque village near Nahe with good food choices between 1-3 hours out from Frankfurt and using that as a base of operations to visit some producers if possible (like Mr. Donnhoff) and cycle a bit on rental bikes. I looked at Bad Kreuznach but at 100K or more residents it may on the big size (what do I know). We envision a smaller town but have not been before so any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks in advance,
Doug

2

I’ve stayed at the Krone in Assmannshausen (around the bend in the Rhine from Rudesheim) and ventured up, down, and across the river from there. Nahe/Donnhoff is a short ferry ride and drive across the river. The vineyards in and above Rudesheim were on the cover of Theise’s catalog a couple of years ago and there are lots of tasting opportunities in town and wineries to visit. Closest city is Mainz, which we never visited.

3

Mark,

Thanks very much. Will investigate!

Did you by chance visit Herr Donnhoff?

Cheers,
Doug

4

We recently had a very nice dinner and room at the Alte Pfarrey in one of the most picture-perfect European villages I’ve seen - Neuleiningen.

Neuleiningen is in the Pfalz and is right next to the huge forest there which I would assume has biking trails.

5

Doug, not in the Nahe, but just into the Pfalz, I’ve rented a carriage house from a couple in Kirchheim, which is on a road with direct access to the Autobahn. You can easily make day trips to Nahe, Rheinhassen, and the Pfalz of course. 1.5 hours from the airport, if even that far.

A search for vacation rental Kirchheim might turn it up.

6

Brad,

Thanks for this. We were finding many places unavailable due to short notice but are presently booked into the Hotel Schon in Assmannshausen, on the Rhine. Pfalz seems like a very attractive place - will explore.

Today got a reply from Weingutt Donnhoff that we are scheduled for a visit. Very cool. Am trying to contact Schlossgut Diel also, as it would be interesting to taste his pinot noir.

Regards,
Doug

7

Doug,
The dining room at the Krone is pretty good, with a very good wine list. Behind the Schon is a chairlift that takes you to the top of the hill behind Assmannshausen, then you walk through a park and trails, around the bend above Rudesheim, then take a gondola down to town through the Rudesheimer vineyards. Highly recommended if the weather is good. Lots of places to eat and drink in Rudesheim for lunch, including tasting rooms.

8

Mark,

Thank you. We looked at the Krone and will plan on dining there. The chair lift looks cool - found a YouTube entry on it.

Cheers,
Doug