World's Largest Wine Festival

Welcome to Pfalz and to an atmosphere full of millenary history and culture, in which the past is the key to understanding the present. A history that goes back to 500 B.C., when the Celts began cultivating the grapevine. Later on, under the Roman rule, this practice was further developed, reorganized and rationalized, thus laying the foundations for what is today one of Germany’s leading wine regions. Nearly 24.000 hectares planted with vineyards and over 100 million vines spread over an area of 85 kilometers along the Pfälzerwald (the Pfalz forest). Our climate is one of the mildest in Germany, with extended exposure to sunlight (about 2,000 hours per year, about 220 days per year) and rainfall very much below national average.

Over 15.000 hectares of fields are planted with vegetables, salads, potatoes and asparagus. From the farm to the table – a true slogan in Pfalz. Food and wine – enjoyed together with family and friends, a coziness that is deeply rooted in our culture. As are the many wine festivals and the big yearly events, such as the coronation of the German Wine Queen, the big German Wine Harvest Festival with its festive parade, the w.i.n.e.FESTival, and the world largest wine Festival - the Bad Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt – it all happens here in Pfalz!

Our region will enchant you with its charming views over the Rhine Valley and the endless Biosphere reserve Palatinate forest (the largest contiguous forest area of Germany). In the summertime you can smell herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage and lavender in the plains and spicy aromas of the resin of conifers in the woods. After long hiking, trecking, biking or climbing tours, it can be wonderfully to stop at one of the many forest cabins or to explore the historic city centers.

Whether you like to discover the typical regional dishes, such as stuffed pig's stomach, the Pfalz’ liver sausage, liver meatballs, the freshly harvested, still yeasty wine together with the traditional onion pie, or rather upscale Haute cuisine – you will find it all here. Come and get a taste of what our Chefs have to offer. Their passion for authentic food, made of and with the very best local and seasonal ingredients, such as chestnut, pumpkin, asparagus, figs, strawberries or Pfälzer Grumbeer (potato), will make you fall in love with Pfalz. Discover the real Pfalz and take home with you culinary memories to last for a long time…

Pfalz can be easily reached via highway, bus and train. It takes about 60 minutes to get to us by car from the nearest airports in Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Baden-Baden, and Stuttgart.

Please browse our pages and find the authentic producers, farm shops, restaurants and caterers, who are representing the
Culinary Heritage of Pfalz.