Baden and Württemberg are actually separate wine-producing areas. Comprising nine districts, Baden has many varieties, but nearly half the vineyards are planted with Spätburgunder (pinot noir), Weissherbst (rosé), Grauburgunder (gris) and Weissburgunder (blanc). Riesling and Gewürztraminer are grown in the Ortenau district, near Baden-Baden, while Gutedel is unique to the Markgräflerland district, between Freiburg and the Swiss border.

Vineyards to investigate

are Dr. Heger in Ihringen, Bernhard Huber (Malterdingen), Andreas Laible (Durbach), Salvey (Oberrotweil) and Franz Keller (Oberbergen), who also runs a good restaurant, Schwarzer Adler. Württemberg is Germany’s best red wine region, and is mainly represented by Trollinger, Schwarzriesling (also known as Müllerrebe) and Lemberger, then Spätburgunder, Dornfelder and Portugieser. Wines are typically light and fruity, though they can be rich and full-bodied. Among the whites, Riesling is king, and there is also Kerner and Müller-Thurgau, probably the most widely-planted grape in Germany.

Stuttgart Wine Festival 

If you want to experience the full range, make for the Stuttgart Wine Festival during late August and early September. Ask for a Schöpple, or half-pint. Then go and eat at Wielandshöhe, where chef Vincent Klink and his wife Elisabeth run a restaurant in the suburb of Degerloch.