Would you like to get back on the road after the lockdown and not too far from home? Visit the vineyards in the Nahe, only a 4,5 hour drive from Utrecht!
I, Jennifer Brink, visited the Nahe last year and would like to give you my tips. Would you rather read about the Moselle? Go ahead!
Grape varieties in the Nahe
The Nahe has a wide variety of soils and therefore many different grape varieties are planted here. You will find many wines of Riesling, but also of the Burgundian varieties, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Rivaner, Silvaner and Dornfelder. So there is something for everyone!
Nahe – where to stay
We stayed in the charming village of Bingen am Rhein. This village lies on the Rhine and has many nice restaurants and terraces by the water. I would recommend booking the restaurants in advance, especially in high season. We wanted to go to Zollamt, but it was fully booked for the whole weekend. So we didn’t go there, but it looked very cosy!
But the most important thing is of course the wine. It is advisable to make an appointment with the wineries in advance, because you can’t just walk in everywhere.
Wineries in the Nahe
Weingut Krüger-Rumpf in Bingen am Rhein falls under the VDP qualification. This does not mean that all the wines are expensive, for about € 10, – you can take a delicious bottle home. For €15, you can book a tasting and taste lots of wines. Most of the wines are made of Riesling, but we also tasted Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. They have a good restaurant so I can definitely recommend making a reservation for dinner afterwards.
Weingut Forster in Rümmelsheim makes organic wines and is run by the Forster family. They are very hospitable and when you walk in, you immediately feel welcome. You can just walk in, there is no need to make an appointment. A tasting is free of charge and the family takes the time to tell you about all the wines and to let you taste them. They have several organic wines from Riesling, but also Rivaner, Silvaner, Dornfelder, Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. If you are interested in the different types of soil in the Nahe, the family will also be happy to tell you about it, show it to you and tell you what influence it has on the wine. From Bingen am Rhein it is only 7.5 kilometres to Weingut Forster, but it is advisable to go by car. We Dutchmen thought that we could cycle this, but did not take into account all the hills and gravel paths along the way. In Rümmelsheim, you will also find Weingüt Pieroth. I have drunk their wines in the Netherlands and they are great! Unfortunately, I was not able to visit them because they are closed on Sundays, so that is still on my list!
Vinothek: In the Vinothek in Bingen am Rhein it is possible to taste wines from many different wineries in the region. You can put together your own tasting or book a tasting with explanations. If you are enthusiastic about one or more wines, you can also buy them at the Vinothek.
You can rent a bicycle at several places to explore the region which is great if you don’t want to spit out all the wine 😉 It isn’t very recomendable if you also want to buy wine. Often you can make an appointment with the wineries to pick up the boxes at another time.
More wine trips are planned this year, for example to Germany and Slovenia. Through my Instagram account @wijnaandezaan I will take you on a wine trip.
Prost!