SPECIALITIES 31 SPECIALITIES Sparkling Wine There is hardly any festive setting, priva-te or social get together, where one doe-sn't toast with a glass of sparkling wine. Vital for the quality of the sparkling wine is the choice of high grade wine with a full aroma and selected flavour. Only then does the vintner choose from first grade grape vines, the wines, which allow the production of good sparkling wine. For over 150 years in our region this art of “refinement” has been practised with selected Rheingau wines. Enjoy it as an aperitif, with a meal or just on its own - Sparkling wine or “Sekt” is always sym-bolic for an enjoyable and pleasurable way of life! Wine and Sparklingwine Tasting Most vineyards and vintners offer wine and sparkling wine (Sekt) tasting (3-5 wines), even “wine seminars (7-11 wines). For groups, an advance reservation is recommended; individual travellers find, within town, many possibilities to spon-taneously try the worldrenowned Rhein-gau wine and sparkling wines. Wine Seminars with competent guides, Saturdays at 17.15 h (April-October) in Breuer`s Kellerwelt. Reservation Vinothek Breuer +49 (0)6722 47225 Winery Tavern The indeed most typical way to enjoy wine and sparkling wine is to do just that in a wine tavern (Straußwirtschaft): “Where the little wreath hangs, wine is served”. However, one cannot always follow the “Sträußche” (a wreath han-ging over the entry door of the winery) because there is a limited four-month operating license. For information on the opening hours, where the native vintners invite you to enjoy wine, “Handkäs mit Musik” (cheese with oni-ons) or “Spundekäs” (cottage cheese seasoned with paprika and herbs), con-sult the Tourist Information. Unlike the wine taverns, the wine estates are allo-wed to serve their guests all year round. Wine Tasting on the River Rhine Enjoy the wine at a wine tasting on a ship cruising through the World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Wine Whether white or red, Rheingau wines are always a pleasure! The unusually favourable climatic and geological condi-tions in Rüdesheim and Assmanns-hausen have been known for centuries: long hours of sunlight, steep hills and mineral-rich ground. The Rheingau region, with approx. 3200 hectares of grapevines, is one of the smallest German producing regions. On the steep slate ground around Assmannshausen, the noble Pinot Noir grows, in a little “red wine paradise”.The “queen” of the vines is the Riesling, with its special “pedigree” and elegance. “Enjoy with all your senses”: when it comes to wine, you can do just that at numerous events, e.g. Rüdesheim Wine Festival every 3rd weekend in August and in November in “Staatsweingut Assmannshausen” to the “Symphony in Ruby-Red”. “In vinum veritas” - (the truth lies in wine) Why this is so, is best to find out from a wine grower. In lots of our wine-growing estates our visitors can not only observe but also experience and actively take part the whole year through, in the countless jobs which occur in the winegrowing business. Whether it is the “Rebschnitt” (cutting the vine), the “Reberziehung” (taming the vine), the “Gibbeln”, the quality con-trol measurements or at the end the “Weinlese” (grape picking) and the mysterious “Keltern” (grape pressing) - there are many opportunities, to look over the wine growers shoulder and even to work with them. On top of this several different program-mes are available on reservation, e.g. individual hikes led by the wine growers themselves, through the vineyards follo-wed by a wine tasting, an ideal chance to inform oneself about the myths surro-unding wine. 30