The Pfalz and Rhine Terrace Feature

Attending a wine festival is fun and a memorable part of any vacation in wine country. You can sample local food and wine inexpensively and meet winegrowers without making an appointment. Wine and Sekt (sparkling wine) flow freely from March through October at festivals that include parades, fireworks, and rides. The Pfalz is home to the world's largest wine festival, in mid-September, the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt (Sausage Market, so named because of the 400,000 pounds of sausage consumed during eight days of merrymaking). In Neustadt, the German Wine Queen is crowned during the 10-day Deutsches Weinlesefest (German Wine Harvest Festival) in October. The Mainzer Johannisnacht (in honor of Johannes Gutenberg) in late June, the Wormser Backfischfest (fried-fish festival) in late August, and the Brezelfest (pretzel festival) in Speyer on the second weekend in July are the major wine and folk festivals along this part of the Rhine. See www.germanwines.de for an events calendar with an up-to-date overview of many smaller, local wine festivals that take place in virtually every village.