We’re taking a family trip through Bavaria this summer, our first and likely only trip to Germany. I am not a planner, but my better half is. If I’m to include any wine related stops, they need to be on the itinerary. Is there anything I shouldn’t miss, looking for maybe 2 or 3 recommendations. I am an absolute novice when it comes to German wine but would regret not taking advantage of the opportunity. I don’t even know if Bavaria is German wine country – that level of novice.
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Boo
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It’s not.
You will find some decent shops and restaurants though.
Christopher, are you limited to Bavaria or are other regions an option? As Russell mentioned, Bavaria isn’t exactly wine country.
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When you ask about anything not to be missed, are you referring to wineries only, or also what to see in Bavaria? Bavaria does have one wine region - Franken/Franconia. The nearest big city is Würzburg.
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Yes true some very good wines from Franken. It’s a bit of a detour from many parts of Bavaria though. (Eg three hours from Munich)
Christopher, Bavaria has really only got one wine area of higher reputation, and this is the Franken (Frankonia) region. Maybe you know the special bottle shape, the Bocksbeutel. Good wines are mostly white ones. Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and above all Sylvaner (very typical for the region> it goes especially well with asparagus). Some of the better vineyards are for example the Weingut am Stein near Würzburg or Weingut Horst Sauer in Escherndorf. There are many others, of course. It’s also a nice region for cycling or hiking (especially in autumn).
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I’m not sure if Franconians would necessarily consider themselves to be Bavarian… 
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I am not even sure if bavarians consider themselves as germans.
There are two wine regions of significance in Bavaria, first and foremost Franken and the Lake Constance region is up and coming.
Franken is known for its Silvaner, known produders are (some already mentioned): Horst Sauer, Zehnthof Luckert(!), Weingut am Stein, Bürgerspital and Juliusspital.
If you are more into red wine, Rudolf Fürst in Bürgstadt produces some of the finest Spätburgunder/Pinot Noir in Germany. Also in Bürgstadt but lesser known is Josef Walter he has a nice range of Spätburgunder and its sibling Frühburgunder.
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I know nothing about Bavarian wines, but it seems like getting a list of restaurants with great wine lists and recommendations on wine is the way to go.
It’s a beautiful area with lots of good food and lots of good beer. I’ll leave it at that.
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Bavaria is Germany’s largest state. Asking for a list of restaurants is like asking for recs for Texas. If the OP wants to say where he is traveling in Bavaria, that would help.
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Most of the Lake Constance wine estates are not in Bavaria, but in Baden-Württemberg. It is a beautiful region, but its wines don’t compete when compared to many other regions in Germany.
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Love this community. This is a bit of a road trip. Stays / Directions of travel in order are:
- Starting in Luxembourg to Heidelberg
- Augsburg and Munich
- Up for a day trip in Nuremberg then passing through Wurzburg staying south in Rothenburg
- Next couple/few days and nights at various points down the romantic road ending in Kempten(ish)
- Then back west to frieburg
- back to Luxembourg for a night
Full agenda but we like to see a lot and stay lots of places. I neglected to mention we’ll be passing through the southwest at the beginning and end of trip.
A personal note: something has changed with me in the past few years where beer disagrees with my stomach, sadly. I know I’m in Germany, but really, not even worth it. I try every now and again with the same result. Frustrating. I know this has happened to other humans as well. Hoppier beers are worse and I do miss my IPA days.
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Well, that itinerary changes everything. You will pass through many wine regions. Here is a good map from Wikipedia. It’s in German, but easy to decipher. Most importantly, it shows Luxemburg as well as most of your cities (Heidelberg, Munich, Nuremburg, Würzburg, Freiburg). Parts of legs 1,3, 5 and 6 are where the vineyards are.
(now with link!)
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