Mittelrhein (wine region)

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The vineyard site Bopparder Hamm in the Mittelrhein region, with river Rhine in the foreground.

Mittelrhein (or Middle Rhine) is a region (Anbaugebiet) for quality wine in Germany^[1], and is located along a 120 km stretch of river Rhine in the touristic portions of the Rhine region known as Middle Rhine. On the left bank of Rhine, vineyards begin immediately downstream of the Nahe river estuary and last until Koblenz. On the right bank, vineyards begin where Rheingau ends and last until 8 kilometers south of Bonn, in the Siebengebirge.^[2] Parts of the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage since 2002, make up the southern part of Mittelrhein.^[3]

The region's 460 hectares (1,137 acres) of vineyards (2006 situation) are dominated by white wine grapes (91%) to a higher extent than any other wine region of Germany.^[4] With the much-appreciated Riesling being the most grown variety at 67.6% of the vineyards, and considering the vicinity to the world-famous regions Rheingau and Mosel, it could be expected that Mittlerhein would enjoy a commercial success. In reality, the situation is quite the opposite, since the region's planted area have been shrinking for quite some time, and the region's wines are hardly ever seen on export markets, and seem to be rather unknown even inside Germany.

Mittelrhein is divided into two districts (Bereiche). In the north, four villages which are situated in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia make up the district Siebengebirge, while the bulk of the vineyards, in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, define the district Loreley. Vineyards are situated on both sides of Rhine, with a few vineyards being situated on the banks of Lahn, a tributary of Rhine.^[5]