The Kappeskerb Weinlesefest in Eltville closes the harvest year on the last weekend in October, with a wine market and harvest fair through the old town along the Rhine.
Tip: Try the just-pressed Federweisser at the harvest stands; the cabbage-and-pork dishes named in Kappeskerb pair well with off-dry Riesling.
Address: Burgstrasse, 65343 Eltville am Rhein, Germany, Rheingau
Second-weekend-in-July village wine festival in Martinsthal, a small Eltville district above the Rhine, pouring grower Riesling from the Martinsthaler Wildsau and surrounding slopes.
Tip: Martinsthal is the quietest of the Eltville district festivals; come for the village feel and the by-the-glass Wildsau Riesling.
An early-November autumn market held in Hochheim since 1484, mixing fairground, livestock and craft stalls with Rheingau wine pours over a long Friday-to-Tuesday weekend that draws close to half a million visitors.
Tip: Pair the fair with a tasting at Weingut Kuenstler or Domdechant Werner a short walk away to see why Hochheim is the Rheingau's eastern wine anchor.
A September village wine festival in Kiedrich pouring estate Riesling from local growers including Robert Weil, with stands across the church square in the historic Rheingau wine village.
Tip: Walk up the hill afterwards to the Robert Weil estate gates; the village is small enough to combine the festival with a Weil tasting in one afternoon.
A first-Sunday-in-June Champagne festival in Kiedrich, organised by the village's friendship association with Hautvillers in Champagne, with sparkling pours and local Rheingau Riesling Sekt alongside grower Champagne.
Tip: The Hautvillers twinning makes this rare in the Rheingau, a day to compare grower Champagne with German Sekt under one tent.
Three October weekends of Federweisser and Zwiebelkuchen on Ruedesheim's Drosselgasse and Marktplatz, with new-wine stands, onion-tart kitchens and live brass-band music through the old town.
Tip: Federweisser ferments in the cup, so drink it fresh and warm; pair every glass with a slice of Zwiebelkuchen from the church-square stands.
Ten days of Rheingau wine on Wiesbaden's Schlossplatz from the second Friday in August. Around 100 stands pour Rheingau Riesling, Spaetburgunder and Sekt directly from growers across the region.
Tip: Pace yourself over two evenings; the 100-stand layout under the Stadtschloss is too big for a single visit, and the square cools fast after dark.
