Location and landscape
Baden is a German wine-growing region that stretches from the Tauber valley in the north, over the Upper Rhine plain, to Lake Constance and the Swiss border. The region is around 400 kilometres long and is divided into nine sub-regions. The landscapes include areas along the Upper Rhine and the Black Forest, as well as Kaiserstuhl, Tuniberg, Markgräflerland and the Lake Constance region.
Climate and soils
In general, Baden has a sunny and warm climate. The Kaiserstuhl is regarded as the warmest wine-growing region in Germany. The soils range from shell limestone in Tauber Franconia to combinations of Keuper, loam, loess, granite, clay, limestone and sand. The Kaiserstuhl is an extinct volcanic mountain range, while in the Lake Constance region glacial moraines are particularly characteristic.
Grape varieties and cultivation area
In 2025, the vineyard area covered 15,142 hectares. With 9,162 hectares, 61 per cent of this was accounted for by grape varieties of the Pinot family. Spätburgunder was the leading variety with 4,765 hectares, followed by Weißburgunder with 1,640 hectares. Other important varieties include Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder, Gutedel and Riesling. Souvignier Gris, bred in Freiburg, grew to 188 hectares in 2025.
Wine styles and legal framework
The different landscapes and climatic conditions of the nine sub-regions make it possible to offer a wide range of wine styles. Baden is strongly oriented towards Pinot varieties and produces not only Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder and Weißburgunder, but also wines made from Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Gutedel. Gutedel is a regional white-wine speciality from the Markgräflerland. Baden is a legally defined German quality wine-growing region and is the only German wine-growing region assigned to EU wine-growing zone B. The term “Steillage” is restricted to wines made from grapes grown in vineyard areas with at least 30 per cent slope.
