The Kräuterwirte (herb restaurants) of Assmannshausen
Assmannshausen am Rhein is widely known as a red wine community. Pinot noir has been cultivated here since 1507 and is considered one of Germany’s best red wines. The vineyards around Assmannshausen are no longer just a red wine zone, but also a herb garden. Surrounded by vines, more than thirty edible wild plants and medicinal herbs grow here, such as wild fennel, groundsel and garlic rue.
Culinary wild herb hikes and walks through the vineyards are offered regularly, and one wild herb trail leads through the red wine sites of Höllenberg and Frankenthal on an eight km circular route.
Foto: ©Saskia Marloh
Game in the red wine zone of Assmannshausen
Even back in the middle ages, the extensive Niederwald forest above Ehrenfels Castle, located between Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen, was used as a hunting ground. Today, there are still red deer, roe deer and wild boar to be found around the well-known towns on the romantic Rhine, and their meat is a perfect accompaniment to wine in local restaurants during the hunting season. Of course, there are also vegetarian dishes that complement the wine perfectly. Pinot noir is a true speciality in the Rheingau, cultivated on approximately 160 hectares and most common on the steep sites of Assmannshausen around the “Höllenberg” hill. This red wine has been grown since at least 1507 in its “home place” of Assmannshausen. Rheingau pinot noir is undoubtedly one of the best red wines in Germany. It is lighter, softer and more velvety than the rich, full-bodied and high-alcohol wines from France. Small, fully ripe, dark blue grapes result in lighter-coloured wines with a subtle, delicately spiced aroma and elegant, warm style with pleasant acidity, which also ensures that the wines remain storable.
