I would love to take a friend from South Africa to one of the German wine areas. I am looking for a "very special" guesthouse or small hotel/winery in great scenery where we can do lot's of tastings in an extraordinary environment. Should be for at least 2 nights in early September.

Would be great to get your advise!

Thanks for sharing!

SV

Do a search for "weingut". also check out www.bensbauernhof.com - some of the trip reports mention them

In the Moselle, this is a super guesthouse at a small winery near many other wineries and the lovely town of Bernkastel.
http://www.sapruem.com/

Thank you bigtyke and travelgirl22!

I must say travelgirl's link is very promising. Particularly the Riesling is tempting (I love it but always get swollen feet the next mroning due to the acid ) as well as the Gaestehaus pics. I have contacted them and will report what comes out of it!

I'll read bigtyke's linked info as well.

Again THANK's a lot to both of you for your kind response!

SV

if you go to the "forst" web site there is avery posh little B&B in the centre of town. Tasting abound around! Bad Durkheim up the road and Deidesheim the other way. Some of the wineries even do meals in the evening.

http://www.forst-pfalz.de/

Klaus und Angelika Oswald
Pfarracker 1
67147 Forst
Tel. 06326 / 6775
Fax 06326 / 6494
[email protected]
www.gaestehaus-pfalz.de

Thank you bilboburgler!
Very much appreciated! It's a bit far down...but we'll see....

bigtyke
I am impressed by the info on places under "ben's"! I am please to find one of my favourites there: Hotel Ernst Cologne just across the cathedral! Excellent ols style place!

I am still working myself down the link list ;-).......

To all of you: Have a great start into a new week and enjoy Sunday evening (afternoon on your site of the pond )

SV

Are you ready for Franken?

They make great wines in Franken, they have beautiful villages and this is a great hotel with own winery that has an excellent cuisine (Michelin Bib Gourmand):

http://www.zehntkeller.de/

Another idea:

This is a beautiful small hotel which belongs to a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars (they have a second, less formal room with more affordable cuisine).

www.steinheuers.de

The Ahr valley is vey scenic, and they make excellent red wines there - Adeneuer, Stodden and Meyer-Näkel are the best wineries.

ditto what bilboburger said abouit Bad Durkheim.

if you are there between 11-20th september, you can take part in the "Wurstmarkt", aka the world's largest wine festival.

http://www.duerkheimer-wurstmarkt.de...arkt.html?&L=1

but you will need to book soon to get accommodation in the area for those dates.

otherwise, Annweiler [also in the Pfalz] is very nice and full of vineyards.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

traveller1959
Thank you and - YES we would be ready for a Bocksbeutel but I doubt it will be realiseable in Sep as we fetch our friend at FRA and then proceed to a closer venue. But for a long weekend or short break it sounds marvelous! I particularly like the dry's......

annhig
Thank you for the Wurstmarkt info!
If he comes over around that time we most definitely consider this!

Nice evening!

SV

If you are in the Frankfurt area and are fond of Rieslings, you could also try out a few of the Rheingau wineries. Schloss Vollrads and Schloss Johannisberg each produce excellent Rieslings and have very nice grounds where you can try them.
http://www.schlossvollrads.de/
http://www.schloss-johannisberg.de/

Prinz von Hessen makes also some very noticeable Rieslings, and even though I normally prefer the dry ones, there are some quite intriguing half-dry ones to be discovered here, too.
http://www.prinz-von-hessen.de/index.htm

Kuenstler in Hochheim makes some good stuff, too
http://www.weingut-kuenstler.de/de/

In the villages, e.g. in Eltville, there are several wine-trying-stalls (Weinprobierstaende) that let you try the products of the local smaller wineries, The one in Eltville is right on the river bank by the castle under some trees - quite nice for killing an hour or so.

For accommodation, you could look at Kronenschloesschen in Hattenheim.
http://www.kronenschloesschen.de/de/index2.htm.

On the other side of the river (ok, quite a bit South), in Rheinhessen, Weingut Keller in Floersheim-Dalsheim is also quite noteable.
http://www.keller-wein.de/

Apart from that I would second the recommendation of Franconia with its excellent producers of really dry whites.
Another option to look at there would be Romantik Hotel Schwane in Volkach (quite good cuisine, too).
http://www.schwane.de

Hans Wirsching would be a noteable producer from the region
http://www.wirsching.de/.

And Wuerzburg's Juliusspital
http://www.juliusspital.de/html/Weingut.htm
and Buergerspital should not be omitted either.
http://www.buergerspital.de/weingut/index.html

Bocksbeutel = Franken = Würzburg region = 1 hour from Frankfurt airport...

Old family joke: I went to Würzburg and spent the whole evening in hospital. - Which one: Bürgerspital or Juliusspital?

Thank you very much for all the help!

The output is keeping me busy ;-)

I'll report later on what I choose!

SV

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