The Vinum Weinguide Deutschland is a leading German wine guide. The Vinum Weinguide Deutschland 2026 was released recently, presenting Vinum's choice of Germany’s best 1,000 wine producers and reviewing more than 13,500 wines on 1,080 pages.

5 out of 5 stars („world class“) were awarded to 27 estates.

Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2026

In the Rheingau, there are 3 producers with 5 stars and 7 producers with 4.5 stars.

Annette Schiller and I have visited all 3 producers with 5 stars and 4 of the 7 producers with 4.5 stars over the past years during a Germany wine tour by ombiasy WineTours, which is owned and run by Annette Schiller and based in Washington DC, USA.

Rheingau

(London Wine Competition)

Rheingau is one of the 13 German wine-growing regions, notable primarily for its superior Riesling wines. Overall, Rheingau is the German wine-growing region that has the highest proportion of Riesling production (78.8%) as a percentage of all wine produced. Other wines play only a minimal role in the region’s wine culture, including Spatburgunder (12.2%) and Müller-Thurgau (1.6%).

In addition to being such a prominent Riesling producer, Rheingau is also known for being the birthplace of many German winemaking traditions and innovations. It is the home to famous winemakers such as Schloss Johannisberg, as well as the original site where the German form of the “noble rot” was discovered.

In terms of total area, Rheingau extends for a 50-kilometer stretch along the Rhine River. The region is officially located in the German state of Hesse. Despite the region’s prominence in German wine-making lore, Rheingau only accounts for less than 5% of all German vineyard acreage under cultivation. Vineyards are primarily located on the river’s right bank. Leading wine-producing villages of the Rheingau include Hochheim am Main, Walluf, Eltville, Rauenthal, Kiedrich, Hattenheim, Oestrich, Winkel, Johannisberg, and Rudesheim.

The history of winemaking in Rheingau extends back to the 900s and the reign of Charlemagne, who ordered vineyards to be planted in the region. Recently, there has been new evidence discovered of a winemaking tradition stretching all the way back to the Roman era. Given the long history of winemaking in Rheingau, it has acquired a special place in the overall tradition of German winemaking.

Visiting Rheingau Producers

Weingut Schloss Johannisberg - 5/5 Stars

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Johannisberg (VDP), the Iconic Rheingau Estate, with Dieter Salomon - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Pictures: Lunch at the Weingut Schloss Johannisberg Gutsrestaurant - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Picture: Annette Schiller and Stefan Doctor, Director of Weingut Schloss Johannisberg, at the Weinbörse in Mainz. See: Attending the 2019 VDP.Weinbörse - Vintage 2018 - in Mainz - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Pictures: Tour and Tasting at Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau, with Christian Witte, Domaine Director – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany

Peter Jakob Kühn - 5/5 Stars

Pictures: Tasting at Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn (VDP) in Oestrich-Winkel, Rheingau, with Peter Bernhard Kühn - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Pictures: Salons des Vins - all with a Focus on Natural, Organic, Biodynamic and Low-intervention Producers in the Loire Valley and elsewhere in France and Europe - in February in Angers and Samour, Loire Valley, France (February 2024)

Picture: Christian Schiller and Peter Jakob Kühn in Kiedrich, Rheingau, see: Extraordinary Views of the Rheingau Vineyards - A Spectecular Helicopter Flight over the Rheingau with Rheingau Winemakers, Germany

Picture: Annette Schiller with Peter Jakob Kühn in Berlin

Pictures: Kühn Peter Jakob, Oestrich (Rheingau) - One of the Bio-dynamic Stars in Germany: Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn in Östrich, Winkel – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)

Robert Weil

Picture: Bollinger (Champagne) and Weil (Rheingau): Spectacular Winemaker Dinner at Steins Traube (1 Star Michelin) in Mainz, with Cyril Delarue (Bollinger Family), Wilhelm Weil, Sommelière Maria Vizsnyai and Chef Philipp Stein, Germany (October 2024)