Baden

Germany’s sunniest wine region Baden marries tradition with top quality, with districts like the Kaiserstuhl and Markgräflerland home to an outstanding array of distinctive wines. Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the linchpin grape. 

Comprising some 15,000 hectares of vineyard, Baden is Germany’s most southerly wine region, stretching roughly from Mannheim all the way down to the Swiss border with the Rhine and the Black Forest on either side. Thanks to its warm, dry climate, Baden offers fantastic conditions to grow wine. Responsible for around 80% of total production, cooperatives are central to the region’s viticultural fabric.

The Kaiserstuhl – Baden’s flagship region

Within Germany’s third-largest wine region, the Kaiserstuhl is particularly renowned as a source of world-class wine. Situated just west of the city of Freiburg, Baden’s flagship region is known for its terraced vineyards on volcanic bedrock – the source of powerful, mineral-driven wines of great depth. White grapes, of which Chardonnay, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Gutedel (Chasselas), Müller-Thurgau and Riesling are the most common, are a little more widespread than red in Baden. Nevertheless, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the most-planted single variety. The region’s oak-aged Chardonnays and Pinots (Noir, Gris and Blanc), in particular, enjoy an excellent reputation at home and abroad.

The rise of Spätburgunder

In the past 20 or so years, few other red wines have attracted so many new followers as Spätburgunder from Baden. Prestigious Spätburgunder villages include Malterdingen and Hecklingen in the district of Breisgau, while the southernmost district of Markgräflerland has also established itself as an exciting Pinot hotspot. The best Baden Spätburgunders have a structured and mineral-driven red fruit character. Often raised in oak barrels, they are noted for their remarkable ageing potential and longevity.