The land

The Nahe is a tributary of the Rhine that joins the river at Bingen, just below the Rheingau. The wine region runs upriver from there into a relatively small but geologically extraordinary zone. The soils include red porphyry, blue slate, loess, sandstone, quartzite, melaphyre (a kind of volcanic rock), and shell-limestone — sometimes all within a single producer’s vineyards. The resulting Rieslings vary dramatically by site even within the same village. The Nahe was historically considered a step below the Mosel and Rheingau in prestige but the last two decades have seen producers like Helmut Dönnhoff and Emrich-Schönleber elevate the region to among the top in the country.

The notable villages

Schlossböckelheim and Niederhausen sit on the southern slopes of the river bend — extraordinary Rieslings on volcanic and slate soils. Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg. Norheim. Roxheim. Monzingen — the home of Emrich-Schönleber, producer of some of the most precise Rieslings in modern Germany. The VDP classification system applies in the Nahe as elsewhere, with Erste Lage and Grosse Lage designations on the top single-vineyard sites.

Style of the wines

Nahe Riesling typically splits the difference between Mosel (which is lighter and more aromatic) and Rheingau (which is fuller-bodied and richer). The wines combine the aromatic precision of the Mosel with slightly more weight and ripeness. Each soil type produces a distinct expression — porphyry sites produce more powerful, spicy wines; slate sites produce leaner, more mineral wines. Both dry and noble-sweet styles are taken seriously.

Vintages to know

2022 — outstanding. 2018 — generous. 2015 — exceptional.

Producers we know

Helmut Dönnhoff (the modern reference — the Hermannshöhle Grosses Gewächs is one of the great dry Rieslings in the world), Emrich-Schönleber, Diel, Schäfer-Fröhlich, Tesch.