Rheingauer Weinmuseum - Wine Museum on the Rhine

One of my favorite days during a recent trip to Germany involved an afternoon in the largest wine museum in the world - located in Bromserburg, Germany. The museum is housed in an old monastery on the Rhine river, with narrow steps, stone arches and open-air patio adding to the atmosphere. A mere 5DM got us in, and a few more DM added wine tastings to the menu.

Even the start of the wine museum is exciting - a number of wooden wine presses dating back to the 1500s line the entry way. Huge casks sit alongside presses of every shape and size. Step into the building and you gaze at centuries-old corkscrews, glass onion-shaped bottles from the 1600s, Roman amphorae from 100bc, and even an entire case of chalices used by the Christian church.



Move up the stairs and you see the gorgeous punch bowls, bottles and glassware created for enthusiasts over the years. There is everything from real drinking horns to smooth glass decanters, to the graduated base glasses that Germany is so famous for. After looking over the glassware, you get thirsty, and step out onto the patio for a sip.

They had quite a selection of German whites, reds, and sparkling wines ("sekt") available for tasting. We tried a sparkling wine and a riesling, and both were delicious. You can purchase wines here as well, if you find something you enjoy. The patio gives a gorgeous view over the Rhine to one side, and up the vineyard slopes to the other.


My mom on the patio

When you've had enough of the view, you head up a final set of tiny, curved stairs to the top of the building, where your view is truly stupendous. We spent over two hours in the museum, so if you're planning a trip down to the Rhine, be sure to make this one of your stops!

SlideShow with Gorgeous Photos!

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