Location and climate
The Hessische Bergstraße is a legally defined German quality winegrowing region in the federal state of Hesse. It lies at the foot of the Odenwald and comprises two spatially separate winegrowing areas. The Odenwald provides protection from cold north and east winds and contributes to a mild climate with a long growing season. For the period 1991 to 2020, annual precipitation of 692 millimetres, 1,734 sunshine hours and an annual average temperature of 11.6 °C are reported.
Sites and soils
The vineyards are concentrated on slopes and terraces on the western and northern foothills of the Odenwald. In 2025, 53.1 hectares, or 12.05 percent of the planted area, were accounted for by steep sites. Characteristic are light sands that warm up quickly, with a varying proportion of loess, deep, water-retentive loess and weathered parent rock material. In steep vineyards near Heppenheim (Bergstraße), sandstone can also be found.
Viticulture and grape varieties
The planted vineyard area in 2025 was 440.7 hectares, of which 434.7 hectares were in production. The area comprised 23 single sites and three larger sites, as well as 330 viticulture businesses. The most important grape varieties by area were White Riesling with 33.71 percent, Ruländer with 12.62 percent, Blue Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) with 11.38 percent, Müller-Thurgau with 4.84 percent and Green Silvaner with 2.87 percent. The wines are predominantly dry or off-dry; Riesling leads the range of varieties, while the white wines are described as fresh, firm and increasingly fine-fruited.
History and wine law
Winegrowing on the Bergstraße is documented in the Codex Laureshamensis from the eighth century. In 1971, the Hessische Bergstraße was established as an independent German winegrowing region, following the earlier Bergstraße winegrowing region being divided into a Hessian and a Baden part. The associated land wine designation is Starkenburger Landwein; protected quality wine and protected quality sparkling wine origin designations within the legally delimited area may use the name Hessische Bergstraße.
