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You don’t really need an excuse to plan a visit to Rüdesheim am Rhein, one of the sweetest little wine villages you’re apt to encounter no matter how far you may roam. But we’ll give you one anyway.
Over two weekends, the postcard-perfect town on the Rhine celebrates the time of Federweißer, that sweet and tangy, fizzy, still-fermenting wine made from the newly-harvested grapes.
The fest was conceived as an alternative to Munich’s famed Oktoberfest for those who live in or just happen to love wine country. The idea caught on, and the fest has been going strong for over three decades already.
Four vintners, along with an organization of young winemakers, will set up their stalls in and around the marketplace and sell Federweißer alongside proper wines- the esteemed Rheingau Rieslings and other whites, reds and rosés.
And, of course, there will be food. In addition to Zwiebelkuchen, a hearty tart of caramelized onion and egg that’s traditionally eaten alongside the new wine, fest-goers will find crêpes, cheese dishes, Flammkuchen and many other treats of the harvest season. The town’s many restaurants will eagerly welcome the influx of visitors with their own signature dishes.
Fest organizers are operating with an abundance of caution due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, and the official event website makes note of the provisional nature of scheduled events. Should all go as it did in previous years, visitors can anticipate an accompanying program of live music and a vintner’s parade from 11 a.m. on the first Sunday.
Tage des Federweißen— Days of the New Wine— are (tentatively) scheduled for Oct. 22-24 and Oct. 29-31. Festivities kick off at 3 p.m. Fridays, at noon on Saturdays, and at 10 a.m. on Sundays.
Be sure to bring proof of immunization status and a pair of sturdy walking shoes, just in case the program falls through. Hiking through the autumnal vineyards is a pleasure that stupid virus can and will not deny us!
