The Winery Matthias Kiefer of Baden

Discovering the wine region of Baden

Baden is the southernmost of Germany's 13 official wine regions. It is also the warmest. Its relatively sunny, DryClimate permits the production of good-quality Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and ripe, relatively Full-bodied">Full-bodied examples of Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc). These are often made in oaked styles.

Baden is classified as zone B under the European Union's Vineyard">Vineyard climate classification. Every other German region is in chilly Zone A. Baden is, unusually for Germany, best known for its red wines, However its whites account for the majority of its output. Pinot Noir rules the vineyards here.

For every acre of Riesling (the dominant variety in almost every other German region), there are five of Pinot Noir. The next most commonly planted variety is Müller-Thurgau, followed by Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The combined vineyard area occupied by these latter three is roughly equal to that devoted to Pinot Noir alone. Next comes Riesling, which accounts for less than 10 percent of Baden's vineyard area, followed closely by Gutedel (Chasselas).