Riesling Ribbon Kostheim
Loess and loam - where the timber raftsmen once settled on the Main: Discover the beautiful Riesling Loop Kostheim.
Not far from the starting point, a view from the observation tower at the Mainhafen harbor clarifies the geographical situation: Opposite is the Mainspitze, where the Main flows into the Rhine, and to the west is the nearby Rhineland-Palatinate seat of government, Mainz. The view to the northeast proves that winegrowing is also practiced here. Behind it lies the Hessian state capital of Wiesbaden and, in the distance, the cosmopolitan skyline of Frankfurt. Now let's set off through the Flößerpark, over the Schneckenbrücke bridge to the edge of the village in the vineyards. The Fähncheskreuz is situated on a hill and offers views as far as the large Feldberg in the Taunus and the Donnersberg in the Palatinate. The weather vane above the figure of Jesus gave the cross on the historic Steinerne Straße its name. Lush meadows, paddocks and green vineyards characterize the landscape along the route to the River Main. The path leads along the open meadow landscape back to the wine tasting stand at Franz-Henz-Platz.
Length: 8.9 kilometers - 41 vertical meters - Walking time: 2 hours 15 minutes - Difficulty: two out of five stars - Starting point: Franz-Henz-Platz / Kostheim wine tasting stand - Parking: Parking lot on the banks of the Main - Public transport: Mainbrücke stop
Did you know?
Loess characterizes the soil in the Rheingau like no other substrate. The light-colored, fine-grained sediment is dust from the ice ages, when glaciers crushed the rocks into rock flour. Winds blew the fine mineral grains to this latitude and formed meter-thick loess deposits. A variety of properties make loess soil so valuable. It is an immense water reservoir, rich in lime, provides ample root space and holds a rich reservoir of minerals.
The St. Kilianberg vineyard site goes back to the patron saint of the Franconian timber raftsmen. At the mouth of the Main, they assembled the small rafts into large units for transporting timber on the Rhine and settled here.
Tip
The Bacchus winery is idyllically situated along the Kostheimer Rieslingschleife in the middle of the vineyards of Kostheim's St. Kiliansberg. From there, you have a wonderful view of the wine city of Mainz, Wiesbaden, the Taunus and the surrounding vineyards.