21 editor-picked estates growing Riesling in Baden.
Where to taste Riesling in Baden: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Third-generation Ihringen estate on the Kaiserstuhl's Winklerberg, farming 37.6 hectares of mostly dry Burgunder and Riesling on volcanic soil, with a second site on the Achkarren Schlossberg.
Tasting: Tastings at the Ihringen estate on the volcanic Winklerberg, with cellar tours covering the estate's horse-drawn vineyard work.
Tip: 98 percent of the range is bottled dry; ask specifically if you want an off-dry Spaetlese.
Burkheim family estate tracing winemaking back to 1457, farming 38.3 hectares of the Kaiserstuhl's Feuerberg volcanic terraces, mostly Spaetburgunder and Grauburgunder.
Tasting: Tastings in the estate's 1756 wooden barrel cellar in Burkheim's historic village centre.
Tip: The Feuerberg Kesselberg and Haslen parcels are the estate's warmest sites; ask which vintage is currently pouring.
Ihringen estate on the Vorderer Winklerberg, one of Germany's warmest vineyard sites, farming 13.9 hectares of mostly Burgunder varieties with a small Riesling and Chardonnay planting.
Tasting: Cellar-door tastings in Ihringen covering the Vorderer Winklerberg and Freiburg Schlossberg Grosse Lage bottlings.
Tip: Ask for the Winklerberg Spaetburgunder GG "Backoefele", the estate's flagship red from the site's steepest parcel.
EU-Bio certified estate in Schliengen-Mauchen farming the Frauenberg Grosse Lage, with Spaetburgunder and Gutedel as the Markgraeflerland's characteristic pairing.
Tasting: Cellar-door tastings in the secluded Mauchen valley, with an on-site restaurant.
Tip: The on-site restaurant is open alongside the tasting room; book both together.
Small-production Laufen estate on the Altenberg Grosse Lage in the Markgraeflerland, farming 9.5 hectares of Spaetburgunder, Weissburgunder and Gutedel with guest rooms attached.
Tasting: Tastings in a heritage-protected building in Laufen village, with guest rooms on site.
Tip: Rooms above the tasting room make this a good overnight stop on a Markgraeflerland day.
Durbach estate on the Ortenau's granite and gneiss Plauelrain slope, majority Riesling (locally called Klingelberger) with a 2016 Eiswein that won the AWC Vienna world championship.
Tasting: Three generations work the Durbach estate together; tastings by appointment on the Plauelrain slope.
Tip: Riesling here is sold under the local name Klingelberger; don't expect Kaiserstuhl Burgunder styles.
Offenburg estate held by the von Franckenstein family since the 18th century and farmed today under Stefan Huschle, EU-organic Riesling and Spaetburgunder from Ortenau's granite sites.
Tasting: Tastings at the Offenburg estate, family-owned for more than three centuries and VDP member since 1926.
Tip: Offenburg sits at the Ortenau's northern gateway, a convenient first or last stop on a Black Forest wine route.
Historic Schloss Neuweier estate north of Baden-Baden, owned by Robert Schaetzle since 2012 and majority Riesling from steep granite terraces cooled by evening Black Forest air.
Tasting: Tastings at the Schloss Neuweier grounds north of Baden-Baden, on steep granite slopes at 200-400 metres elevation.
Tip: The Mauerwein bottling from the Mauerberg Grosse Lage is the estate's most site-specific Riesling.
Lahr estate organic-certified since 1991, farming four Grosse Lage sites on the Ortenau's southern edge with Auxerrois, grown there since the 1950s, alongside the core Burgunder range.
Tasting: Tastings at the Lahr estate, certified organic since 1991.
Tip: Ask for the Auxerrois; Woehrle is one of the few Ortenau estates with old-vine plantings of the variety.
Kraichgau estate first documented in 1251 below the ruins of Burg Ravensburg, Demeter-certified biodynamic and majority Riesling on gypsum-keuper clay-loess soils.
Tasting: Vinothek tastings at the Heitlinger Genusswelten site in Oestringen-Tiefenbach, covering both estates' Grosse Lage wines.
Tip: Taste alongside sister estate Heitlinger; both pour at the same Genusswelten vinothek.
Kraichgau estate on calcareous soils at Oestringen-Tiefenbach, farming 72.7 hectares of mostly Burgunder varieties within the Heitlinger Genusswelten resort complex.
Tasting: Tastings at the Heitlinger Genusswelten complex, which combines the winery with a golf resort, hotel and restaurants.
Tip: The Genusswelten site bundles the tasting room with a hotel and restaurants; book ahead in peak season.
Leimen estate on the Badische Bergstrasse near Heidelberg, farmed by the Seeger family across thirteen generations on muschelkalk and bunter sandstone soils.
Tasting: Tastings at the Leimen estate near Heidelberg, family-run for thirteen generations.
Tip: Leimen is a short trip from Heidelberg, making this the easiest Baden estate to reach without a full Kaiserstuhl detour.
Two-site estate run by the House of Baden, Schloss Salem above the Bodensee and Schloss Staufenberg in the Rhine Valley, majority Burgunder varieties on glacial soils near the lake.
Tasting: Tastings across two sites, Schloss Salem on the Bodensee and Schloss Staufenberg in the Rhine Valley; wines also sold through the Badischer Winzerkeller's shop in Breisach.
Tip: Schloss Salem is a working monastery-turned-palace as well as a winery; the grounds are worth the extra time.
State-owned Bodensee domain dating to a 1210 first mention of Meersburg viticulture and under state ownership since 1803, farming 60 hectares across Meersburg, Hohentwiel and Gailingen with Riesling as the lead variety.
Tasting: Tastings at the state-owned domain overlooking Lake Constance, with vineyards split across Meersburg, Hohentwiel and Gailingen.
Tip: Ask for the lake-view terrace tasting; Meersburg's vineyards run down to the Bodensee shoreline.
State research-institute winery in Freiburg farming the Schlossberg Grosse Lage in the city itself plus a second site at Ihringen on the Kaiserstuhl, ECOVIN organic-certified since founding in 1926.
Tasting: Two vinotheks, one in Freiburg and one at Blankenhornsberg, plus an online shop; part of the state viticulture research institute.
Tip: The Freiburg Schlossberg vineyard is walkable from the city centre, no separate Kaiserstuhl trip required.
Dr. Heger pours its Winklerberg Grosse Lage bottlings at the Ihringen cellar door, and cellar tours cover the estate's continued use of horse-drawn ploughs on the steepest volcanic terraces.
Tip: Book ahead for the cellar tour if the horse-drawn vineyard work interests you as much as the wine.
The state viticulture institute's Freiburg vinothek pours its research-estate wines by the glass, a rare city-centre tasting stop backed by the same institute that runs Baden's official grape trials.
Tip: A second vinothek at Blankenhornsberg near Ihringen covers the estate's Kaiserstuhl-grown Grosse Lage sites.
Thirteen generations of the same family have worked this Leimen estate minutes from Heidelberg, and tastings here are the easiest Baden cellar-door stop for visitors based in the Rhine-Neckar area.
Tip: The closest VDP tasting room to Heidelberg; a realistic half-day add-on to a Heidelberg trip.
A state-owned domain since the 1803 secularisation, farming 60 hectares, pours its Bodensee Riesling and newer disease-resistant Piwi crosses overlooking Lake Constance above Meersburg's old town.
Tip: Combine with the Vineum Bodensee wine museum a few minutes away for a full Meersburg wine afternoon.
Run by the Becksteiner winemakers' cooperative on shell-limestone terroir, this daily-open vinothek offers free tastings of Tauberfranken Mueller-Thurgau, Bacchus and Silvaner alongside a wine tavern and sun terrace.
Tip: Ask staff about the curated tasting packages, priced from roughly EUR 32 for a themed selection of bottles to take home.
Ortenau village cooperative at Sasbachwalden growing Spaetburgunder on Black Forest granite slopes, unusual among Baden co-ops for also distilling its own Schwarzwald whisky.
Tip: Pair a bottle of the Spaetburgunder with a Schwarzwald whisky tasting in the same visit, the co-op pours both under one roof.