Travel Log: Germany's Pfalz Wine Region Part Six

 You may have seen on my Instagram that I recently spent a week in Germany's Pfalz wine region, famous for its Riesling Trocken (dry Riesling), with an amazing group of friends. A dear friend of ours planned the entire trip for 22 people including each day's itinerary and transport, and my husband and I were so lucky to be able to just show up and enjoy each day's experiences. The Pfalz wine region is Germany's second largest wine region and covers approximately 23,700 hectares or 228 square kilometers. While it was impossible to see the entire region, we based in one of the central cities, Neustadt An Der Weinstraße (the ß is pronounced like a soft z), and did day trips by bike or car depending on distance. We visited Birkweiler, Speyer, Deidesheim, Forst, Ruppertsberg, Freinsheim, and Landau. Our seventh and final day in this beautiful area started with a visit to a nearby castle, then moved to lunch and a wine tasting in the Landau area before heading back to our home base of Neustadt An Der Weinstraße for one final evening of playing games and spending time together as a group in the outdoor garden of our hotel. Please continue on to see more photos and details of our final day in this beautiful wine region.

Our day started with a short drive to check out Hambach Castle (~10 minutes from our home base of Neustadt An Der Weinstraße. The views were gorgeous of the surrounding area! The road is one way in, one way out, with easy street parking on the left side of the road that cost only 2 euros for a few hours. Originally built around 1000 AD, the castle was oringally named Kästenburg (Chestnut Castle) after the chestnut trees that surrounded the area. It was renamed Hambach Castle in the 1800's.

Our next stop was Weingut Johanneshof for lunch, just outside of Landau in Siebeldingen. This winery has a large garden with shaded seating and is perfect for large groups! They had two kitchens serving food--one that made flatbreads and another that made more complex pasta and meat dishes--along with a bar that served beer, radler, and spritzes.

After lunch, we headed to a wine tasting at Weingut Emil Bauer in Landau. This family run winery is currently operated by several generations and produces a variety of wines with fun names such as "Always enjoy life. You are longer dead than alive – start now with my Rosé!" We enjoyed touring the cellar and different buildings, then relaxing with wine and flatbread in a small garden in front of their tasting room. 

After our tour and tasting at Weingut Emil Bauer, we headed back to our home base and enjoyed one last evening playing games in our hotel's garden/patio space. It was a wonderful way to spend our last day together as a group before going our separate ways. The next morning, my hubby and I flew from Frankfurt to Prague to spend a couple of days exploring a new city. Please stay tuned for a recap of our time in Prague, thank you for visiting my blog today, and I hope you have a fantastic week!