Mainz suggestions for a wine lover
 

Hello,
I have a very long layover at the Frankfurt airport in early May and have decided to take a day trip to Mainz by train. I have read there are many wineries around, but most appear to be outside of town so would probably be difficult for me to reach without a car. I saw several wine museums and wine cellars in town online, but when I went to those websites they are in German only so I couldn't read if tastings are for the general public or if you must be part of an organized tour. Can anyone that has been to Mainz help with some information about tastings at either wineries or wine cellars around town?
Thanks!

Hello jcoz23,
why Mainz?
I would take the S-Bahn (commuter train) no. 9 to Wiesbaden(opposite Mainz) and then change train to Eltville. The whole journey is just a little bit more than 1 hour.
From Eltville train station you can walk or take a short taxi ride to Hessische Staatsweingueter on Schwalbacher St.
They have some of the best wines of Germany and everything can be tasted except the most expensive ones.
Look into kloster-eberbach.de, they also have an English site.
In Eltville and around are some other wine cellars, but the government owned is the biggest.
In Wiesbaden itself and even in Frankfurt you can find other spots.

Why Mainz?

Well, initially I was thinking Frankfurt, but have seen posts on this website and TripAdvisor that recommended Mainz. I am going to be with my husband, and he has never been to Germany, so I thought Mainz sounded more "small town quaint" than modern Frankfurt. We are only in Germany one day before flying to Venice...I am a huge wine lover, but my husband not so much. I thought Mainz would be a good compromise (he would probably be willing to spend a couple of hours at a wine destination, but not make a whole day of it).

Try the information here on wine restaurants, House of Wine
http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...5tvffq.en.html

It doesn't have a lot of detail but it is in English

The website seems to have pretty good information about other things to see/do in Mainz, too. I stayed there overnight a few years ago before a flight out of Frankfurt and enjoyed it

Hi jcoz23:
I stayed in Mainz with my wife in a similar situation to yours - we had returned to Germany from Rome, and had one more day before flying home via Frankfurt Airport. My wife and I were really looking forward to getting back to Germany and enjoying some good Riesling, and Mainz did not dissapoint. I don't know if they will be open in May, but there were two wine stands in the square near the Dom, right by a large fountain. I love those outdoor wine stands, and we had several glasses there, and struck up a very lively conversation with the proprietress, her husband, and several other customers. There was also an absolutely delightful weinstube quite close to that square, in the altstadt. I don't remember the name, but I think that it may have been Weinstube Losch, from the descriptions I've read. It was extremely cozy, the owner was very friendly and spoke english, and we enjoyed some spaetlase and zwiebelkuchen (onion cake) in really delightful surroundings. Here's a link to Mainz's website (mainz.de) that will give you a lot more info about the availability of wine in Mainz. http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...5tvffq.en.html But based on my experience, you've made a good choice.

I've been to Mainz a few times, and am reasonably familiar with it. I like it, but it's a city of over 200,000 people, which makes it probably not 'small town quaint'. I'd take the advice given by Wolfmisc and go to Eltville am Rhein. This is a town of 16500 people, located in a premier wine-growing region, the Rheingau, and home to some of Germany's top wines,such as Steinberg, Erbacher Macrobrunn and Rauenthaler Baiken. I'm sure you could both spend a few enjoyable hours there. Eltville has a splendid 'old town', and is called the town of wine and roses. Have a Steinberg for me!

I agree that calling Mainz "small town quaint" is a stretch. It is a city with a pleasant, walkable Altstadt and some incredible sights you wouldn't see in a small town--an impressive Romanesque cathedral, the Chagall stained glass windows at the Stephanskirche, the Gutenberg museum.