Baden (Kaiserstuhl, Ortenau)

Kaiserstuhl Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder: round, dry pear-and-apple whites with real weight.

Warm volcanic sites make Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc rounder and fuller than most German whites, nearly always dry and easy with food. Top estates add barrel-aged and GG versions.

Warm volcanic sites make Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc rounder and fuller than most German whites, nearly always dry and easy with food. Top estates add barrel-aged and GG versions.

Spätburgunder: Baden's leading grape - ripe cherry, spice and silky tannin.

The most planted grape here, riper and fuller than in cooler German regions. Village wines are juicy and easy; top barrel-aged versions can age a decade or more.

The most planted grape here, riper and fuller than in cooler German regions. Village wines are juicy and easy; top barrel-aged versions can age a decade or more.

Flammkuchen with Weissburgunder or Grauburgunder trocken.

The thin, crisp tart of onion, bacon and cream is a Baden-and-Alsace favourite. A fresh, dry Pinot white cuts the richness and handles the salty bacon.

The thin, crisp tart of onion, bacon and cream is a Baden-and-Alsace favourite. A fresh, dry Pinot white cuts the richness and handles the salty bacon.

Kaiserstuhl Spätburgunder: ripe cherry, spice and silky weight - Baden's red flagship.

Pinot Noir from the volcanic hills is fuller and warmer than most German versions, yet the best estates keep it supple and fresh. Village wines are the value pick; single-site GGs are the collector level.

Pinot Noir from the volcanic hills is fuller and warmer than most German versions, yet the best estates keep it supple and fresh. Village wines are the value pick; single-site GGs are the collector level.

Gutedel: soft, light, low-key white that Baden almost owns.

The grape Switzerland calls Chasselas. Nearly all of Germany's Gutedel grows in Baden's Markgräflerland. It is a gentle apple-and-citrus wine for lunch, light in alcohol and acidity.

The grape Switzerland calls Chasselas. Nearly all of Germany's Gutedel grows in Baden's Markgräflerland. It is a gentle apple-and-citrus wine for lunch, light in alcohol and acidity.

Fun gift: Salwey's Vive le 83 rosé Perlwein, or a Badisch Rotgold.

Two Baden specialities friends will not have met: a lightly sparkling pink from a top house, and the local white-and-red Pinot pink.

Two Baden specialities friends will not have met: a lightly sparkling pink from a top house, and the local white-and-red Pinot pink.

Ortenau Klingelberger Riesling: dry, citrusy and fine, from granite slopes at the Black Forest edge.

Baden's one true Riesling district, around Durbach and the Black Forest foothills. Expect lemon, green apple and a stony edge, usually dry and with more precision than the warm Kaiserstuhl whites.

Baden's one true Riesling district, around Durbach and the Black Forest foothills. Expect lemon, green apple and a stony edge, usually dry and with more precision than the warm Kaiserstuhl whites.

Granite and gneiss on the Black Forest edge shape lean Ortenau wines.

In the Ortenau the soils are granite, gneiss and sandstone, with weathered granite on the best sites. Vineyards climb the Black Forest foothills, which suits Riesling and finer Pinots rather than the heavier Kaiserstuhl style.

In the Ortenau the soils are granite, gneiss and sandstone, with weathered granite on the best sites. Vineyards climb the Black Forest foothills, which suits Riesling and finer Pinots rather than the heavier Kaiserstuhl style.

Ziereisen: Efringen-Kirchen estate for Gutedel and Pinot; Jaspis is the top red.

A Markgräflerland grower admired for characterful Gutedel and Spätburgunder. Some wines are sold as Landwein, so trust the name, not the tier.

A Markgräflerland grower admired for characterful Gutedel and Spätburgunder. Some wines are sold as Landwein, so trust the name, not the tier.

Breisgau Spätburgunder: Pinot Noir from north of the Kaiserstuhl, led by Bernhard Huber.

The Breisgau lies between the Ortenau and the Kaiserstuhl and has produced some of Baden's most admired reds. It is an insider order for serious Pinot drinkers.

The Breisgau lies between the Ortenau and the Kaiserstuhl and has produced some of Baden's most admired reds. It is an insider order for serious Pinot drinkers.

Check before you go — details here may have changed.

Celebration: a Spätburgunder GG - Heger Winklerberg or Salwey Kirchberg.

Baden's grand wines are barrel-aged dry reds from single hills. Small production, hard to find abroad, and they reward a few years in the cellar.

Baden's grand wines are barrel-aged dry reds from single hills. Small production, hard to find abroad, and they reward a few years in the cellar.

Bernhard Huber: Malterdingen estate; Alte Reben Spätburgunder is the wine to chase.

An estate often named among Germany's best for Pinot Noir. Its old-vine Spätburgunder and Chardonnay are the bottlings to look for.

An estate often named among Germany's best for Pinot Noir. Its old-vine Spätburgunder and Chardonnay are the bottlings to look for.

Check before you go — details here may have changed.

Souvignier Gris: a disease-resistant grape Baden grows more of than any other region.

A new-generation variety that needs far less spraying. Citrus and orchard fruit with a creamy edge; a talking point from adventurous growers.

A new-generation variety that needs far less spraying. Citrus and orchard fruit with a creamy edge; a talking point from adventurous growers.

A growing low-intervention scene makes Pinot with minimal technology.

A few small Baden growers, such as Wasenhaus in Staufen, describe their wines as handcrafted and non-interventional. Expect more texture and individuality, sometimes rawer edges.

A few small Baden growers, such as Wasenhaus in Staufen, describe their wines as handcrafted and non-interventional. Expect more texture and individuality, sometimes rawer edges.

Wasenhaus: Staufen estate making low-intervention Pinot and Gutedel.

A small producer that describes its wines as handcrafted and made with minimal technology. Pinot is the focus, with Gutedel also in the range.

A small producer that describes its wines as handcrafted and made with minimal technology. Pinot is the focus, with Gutedel also in the range.

Stigler: family estate in Ihringen; Winklerberg Grauburgunder is the wine to try.

A producers'-association member in Ihringen, family-owned since the 1800s. Its Winklerberg Grauburgunder is a clear picture of white Pinot on the volcanic hill.

Weingut Stigler has been in the same family since 1881, and it describes itself as the top estate of the Kaiserstuhl. It sits in Ihringen, where the vines flower on average two weeks earlier than elsewhere, according to the estate. The Winklerberg, shared with Dr. Heger, is the hill that gives the house its best wines. Its Ihringer Winklerberg Grauburgunder, is the bottle that shows why this district is Germany's Pinot Gris address: ripe pear and almond, creamy texture, dry and long, with the weight to carry rich food. As a member of the producers' association, the estate also offers village and first-class-site wines. Tastings are by appointment, so write ahead.

Salwey: Oberrotweil Burgundy specialist with Henkenberg, Eichberg and Kirchberg GGs.

A Kaiserstuhl estate built around Pinot. The aim is the warmth of the volcanic soil without heavy ripeness or alcohol, from a village wine up to single-site GGs.

Salwey, based in Oberrotweil in the village of Vogtsburg on the Kaiserstuhl, is the estate to visit if you want to see how far Pinot can go in Germany's warmest corner. It calls itself a Burgundy specialist, and winemaker Konrad Salwey is credited with a new kind of Kaiserstuhl wine that keeps the warmth of the volcanic soil without leaning on high ripeness or alcohol. The ladder is clear: a Spätburgunder rosé as the entry, the Oberrotweil village wine in the middle, then great-growth bottlings from Henkenberg, Steingrubenberg, Eichberg and Kirchberg. The Kirchberg Spätburgunder is the red to cellar, and the Eichberg Grauburgunder shows how rich and serious Baden's white Pinot can be. There is also a playful rosé Perlwein called Vive le 83.

Dr. Heger: Ihringen's Winklerberg and Schlossberg specialist; Spätburgunder GG is the flagship.

A leading Ihringen estate in the producers' association. The Dr. Heger label carries the top-site wines; the wider Weinhaus Heger range covers the Pinots, rosé and Sekt.

Heger is two labels under one roof in Ihringen, at the southern foot of the Kaiserstuhl. Weingut Dr. Heger carries the producers' association tiers: great-growth wines, first-class-site wines and village wines, mostly from the Winklerberg and the Schlossberg, plus Muskateller, Silvaner and cuvées. Weinhaus Heger, the broader range, covers Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder, rosé, Sekt and spirits, and a further Edition Fischer line includes Auxerrois, Frühburgunder and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine to know is the Ihringer Winklerberg Spätburgunder GG, a barrel-aged dry red from one of Baden's warmest hills, and the collector's pick. For most visitors the Weinhaus Grauburgunder or Weissburgunder is the easier, far less expensive way to taste what Ihringen does.

Top Kaiserstuhl sites to know: Winklerberg, Henkenberg, Eichberg, Kirchberg.

The best estates bottle their finest Kaiserstuhl vineyards under the site name. Ihringen's Winklerberg and Salwey's Henkenberg, Eichberg and Kirchberg are the ones you will meet most; the dry top wines carry the GG letters.

A site name on a Baden label is the producer telling you this is the best of the cellar. In Ihringen, at the warm southern end of the Kaiserstuhl, the Winklerberg is shared by Dr. Heger and Stigler, so you can taste the same hill in two sets of hands: Heger bottles it as a barrel-aged Spätburgunder GG, Stigler as a Grauburgunder. A little north, in Oberrotweil, Salwey uses Henkenberg, Eichberg, Kirchberg and Steingrubenberg for its great-growth wines. Because Baden is warm, site names here tend to mean ripe, full wines with the structure to age, not delicate ones. For a traveler the smart route is to buy the estate's village wine first, then one site wine from the same house to taste what the hill adds.

Baden GGs are not only Riesling: Pinot Noir, Gris and Blanc all qualify.

Baden's great-growth dry wines can come from a wider list of grapes than in the Mosel or Nahe. Check which grape is on the label: a Spätburgunder GG is a red, a Weissburgunder GG a white.

In the Mosel and Nahe only Riesling can carry the GG letters. Baden is different: the older WSET material lists a wider range of grapes for Baden, and the estates show it. Dr. Heger's Winklerberg Spätburgunder GG is a barrel-aged red, while Salwey's great-growth sites yield Spätburgunder, Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder, and Wöhrle works GG-level sites with Burgundy grapes. So the same three letters can mean a silky red, a creamy Pinot Blanc or a rich Pinot Gris. Practically, read the grape first, then the site. Red GGs are the collector bottles and usually need several years; the white Pinot GGs are more approachable younger and are often the better buy for a dinner table. Check the estate's current list, since the rules for GG grapes are set by the producers' association.

Volcanic rock and windblown loess give the Kaiserstuhl its character.

The Kaiserstuhl is an extinct volcano. Its sunniest slopes are volcanic rock that soaks up heat; the sheltered sides are covered in thick yellow loess, a fine windblown soil. Together they make full, ripe Pinots with spice and a savoury finish.

The Kaiserstuhl is an extinct volcano. Its sunniest slopes are volcanic rock that soaks up heat; the sheltered sides are covered in thick yellow loess, a fine windblown soil. Together they make full, ripe Pinots with spice and a savoury finish.

In the glass: Ripe, full-bodied Pinots with spice and a savoury, mineral finish

Sheltered Rhine rift: Baden ripens fuller wines than the rest of Germany.

Hills on both sides of the Rhine, the Black Forest and the Vosges, shield Baden from rain and wind. The Kaiserstuhl is among Germany's warmest, sunniest corners, so reds and whites come out fuller and stronger than in the northern regions.

The Rhine rift between the Black Forest and the Vosges is Germany's warmest wine zone. On the Kaiserstuhl the sun shines for around 2,100 hours a year and rain is roughly a quarter of what falls on the nearby Black Forest peaks. Ihringen, at the southern foot, is described by most sources as the warmest place in Germany, and Stigler says its vines flower about two weeks earlier than elsewhere. The result is fuller, riper, more alcoholic wine than the Mosel or Rheingau, and summers now warm enough for Syrah and even Cabernet Sauvignon to be trialled. The best growers work against the heat: they pick Pinot early enough to keep freshness and avoid heavy ripeness, which is the stated aim at Salwey. When choosing, expect body, then check the producer for restraint.

In the glass: Fuller, riper, higher-alcohol wines than elsewhere in Germany; good growers keep them fresh

Most Kaiserstuhl vineyards sit on large terraces rebuilt between 1950 and 1982.

The slopes were reshaped into big terraces so tractors could work them. That made farming easier but cost old walls, wildlife and some soil, so the surviving old-vine parcels now carry extra value.

Seen from a distance, the Kaiserstuhl looks like a staircase. Between 1950 and 1982 a land-consolidation programme reshaped the small, steep, walled plots into broad terraces, separated by tall banks of loess. The work brought erosion, landslides and frost damage in its early years, and later banks were limited in height. For wine this matters in two ways. First, farming became practical and affordable, which is why the district grows so much wine and why co-operatives are strong. Second, old-vine parcels and untouched corners are now the exception, so labels that say Alte Reben or name a hill carry more meaning than they did. When you walk the terraces, note the bare loess banks: they are home to orchids and insects as well as vines.

In the glass: Easier farming and bigger volumes; the old-vine and untouched sites are where the character is

Granite and gneiss on the Black Forest edge shape lean Ortenau wines.

In the Ortenau the soils are granite, gneiss and sandstone, with weathered granite on the best sites. Vineyards climb the Black Forest foothills, which suits Riesling and finer Pinots rather than the heavier Kaiserstuhl style.

In the Ortenau the soils are granite, gneiss and sandstone, with weathered granite on the best sites. Vineyards climb the Black Forest foothills, which suits Riesling and finer Pinots rather than the heavier Kaiserstuhl style.

In the glass: Leaner, more precise Riesling and Pinot than on the warm Kaiserstuhl

Co-operatives make most Baden wine - choose their top lines.

Around a hundred co-operatives handle the bulk of Baden's grapes, including the big Breisach cellar. Standards vary, but the good ones, such as the Durbach co-op, make honest, well-priced local wine.

Around a hundred co-operatives handle the bulk of Baden's grapes, including the big Breisach cellar. Standards vary, but the good ones, such as the Durbach co-op, make honest, well-priced local wine.

In the glass: Reliable everyday wine; the premium lines of the better co-ops are the buy

Small-barrel ageing for Spätburgunder GGs gives spice and weight.

Top Baden Pinots are aged in small French-style barrels, in the Burgundian way. The best estates dial the oak back so cherry fruit leads.

Baden's top Spätburgunders are made along Burgundian lines. The wine is fermented, then aged in small barrels, barriques, for a long period; Heger's Winklerberg Spätburgunder GG is even labelled Barrique on the list. Oak adds spice, toast and a firmer frame, which suits Baden's ripe, full-bodied fruit. The risk in a warm region is that oak and alcohol stack up and the wine feels heavy. That is why estates such as Salwey talk about keeping the warmth of the volcanic soil without heavy ripeness, and why Franz Keller stresses clear, fully fermented wines. When tasting, look for cherry first and oak second; if the oak dominates, the wine may need years, or may simply be a different style from the elegance you are after.

In the glass: Spice, toast and structure around ripe cherry; best versions stay supple

Whites are fermented fully dry - savoury, not sweet.

Baden's quality estates ferment their Pinot whites to dryness, so the wines taste dry and savoury with a rounded, creamy feel rather than sweet.

Baden's quality estates ferment their Pinot whites to dryness, so the wines taste dry and savoury with a rounded, creamy feel rather than sweet.

In the glass: Dry, rounded, food-friendly whites with weight

Organic farming is common among leading Baden growers.

Quality estates such as Wöhrle farm organically, and Baden leads Germany in the new disease-resistant grapes. It does not change the style much but often brings clearer site character.

Quality estates such as Wöhrle farm organically, and Baden leads Germany in the new disease-resistant grapes. It does not change the style much but often brings clearer site character.

In the glass: Often fresher, more site-specific wines at the better estates

Rotgold is made by fermenting white and red Pinot grapes together.

The grapes, or their mash, are blended before fermentation, so colour and flavour come from both. The result is a soft, fruity pink wine unlike a standard rosé.

The grapes, or their mash, are blended before fermentation, so colour and flavour come from both. The result is a soft, fruity pink wine unlike a standard rosé.

In the glass: A soft, fruity pink wine with more body than most rosé

A growing low-intervention scene makes Pinot with minimal technology.

A few small Baden growers, such as Wasenhaus in Staufen, describe their wines as handcrafted and non-interventional. Expect more texture and individuality, sometimes rawer edges.

A few small Baden growers, such as Wasenhaus in Staufen, describe their wines as handcrafted and non-interventional. Expect more texture and individuality, sometimes rawer edges.

In the glass: More texture and character, sometimes cloudier or less polished