Riesling tastings on a Rhine Valley cruise day
The slopes you watch from the deck are vineyards, and two of the tours we compare let you taste what grows on them. One adds a short tavern tasting to a full sightseeing day, the other spends real time in a family cellar. Below, the wine regions along the route and what each tour pours.
Two wine regions along the boat route
Between Frankfurt and Koblenz the Rhine passes two wine regions. The Rheingau spreads along the north bank around Rüdesheim, and below Bingen the Mittelrhein region takes over on the steep slopes of the gorge.
Both grow mostly white grapes, with Riesling the name you will see most on menus. A glass in a Rüdesheim tavern and one on a terrace in Bacharach can taste quite different, which is half the fun of a day on the river.
The Rheingau around Rüdesheim
The Rheingau is the gentler of the two, with long vineyard slopes facing south over the water. Rüdesheim is its tourist heart, and the narrow Drosselgasse lane is lined with wine taverns.
Just downstream, Assmannshausen is known for red wine, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), unusual on a river better known for white. Ask for it by name if you prefer red.
In summer an open-air cable car carries visitors over the vineyards at Assmannshausen. On ETS Touristik's day trip it is an optional extra, not included in the price and paid on the spot.
The Mittelrhein on steep slate
North of Bingen the valley narrows into the gorge, and the vineyards climb slopes so steep that much of the work is done by hand. The Mittelrhein is one of Germany's smaller wine regions, and its Riesling is often described as lean and mineral.
From the deck you can see the effort. Narrow terraces cling to the hillsides between the castles, and some old plots have gone back to scrub because they are so hard to farm.
Small family estates make most of the wine here, and much of it is drunk close to where it grows. That makes a tasting in the valley one of the few easy ways to try it.
What ETS Touristik pours
ETS Touristik's day trip from Frankfurt, from ~$167, stops at an old tavern where the guide tells the story of Rhine wine and pours a few small samples. The listing itself says it is no professional sampling, so expect a few short pours and a story rather than a sommelier's flight.
Around the tasting come the steamboat through the gorge and a sit-down lunch by the water. Lunch drinks are not included, so a glass with your meal is extra.
Travelers give it 4.4 on GetYourGuide (1,520+ reviews) and 4.1 on Viator (1,280+). For a first taste of Rhine wine inside a full sightseeing day, the format works well, but serious wine drinkers will find it light.
Our hour-by-hour guide to the Frankfurt day covers the rest of the itinerary, including what happens when the river is too high or low for the boat.
Go with Flo's private winery visit
Go with Flo's private day, from ~$142 per person for a full van, finishes in the cellar of a family winery, with a tasting just for your group. Florian Härtl picks you up at your Frankfurt hotel and drives a van for up to 8 people.
The day also includes a two-hour river cruise. Between stops you visit the area's largest fortification and several lookouts, with water, drinks and snacks in the van, but meals are not included.
The catch is the thin record, 5.0 from 4 reviews on GetYourGuide and 23 reviews on Viator, where 96% of travelers recommend it. The price only makes sense for a group, since one traveler alone pays far more.
A family cellar instead of a busy tavern
For four to eight friends who want time with a winemaker rather than a quick pour, the private day is the closer look. Ask Florian which winery and which stretch of river the day covers before you book.
A glass on board
Rhine sightseeing boats usually sell wine at the bar, often local Riesling by the glass. On the Gilles boats from Koblenz and the KölnTourist cruises in Cologne, food and drinks are bought on board rather than included.
A cold glass on the open deck as the slopes slide past is one of the river's simple pleasures. The listings we compare do not show bar prices, so budget a little extra for it.
If you want the vineyards in view while you drink, choose a boat in the gorge. Our guide to the Rhine's stretches shows where the slopes are steepest, and the Loreley guide covers the most famous bend.
Driving, children and other practical points
Both wine tours here drive you, so nobody in your group has to stay sober for the road. If you rent a car instead, let the driver skip the tastings.
Tastings are for adults. Families with younger children may find a plain boat trip easier, such as the two-hour castle boat from Koblenz, with the wine saved for a quiet evening.
- Eat something before a tasting, since the pours come on top of a long day
- Ask whether bottles can be bought on the spot if you want to take one home
- Carry water on warm days; the van on the private tour has it, the coach day may not
- Check your airline's rules before packing bottles in a suitcase
When the grapes come in
The harvest runs through September and October, when the slopes turn gold and wine towns hold festivals on many weekends. Our month-by-month guide covers the timing in detail.
Late autumn also carries a risk of low water. The water-levels guide explains why boats sometimes stop then, and the day boat or river cruise guide is the one to read if a week on a hotel ship tempts you.