Mainz Walking Tour Cathedral Gutenberg and Rhine Promenade

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Richard F.

October 26, 2025

I lived in Frankfurt for several years. During that time, I had great pleasure in exploring the world of Riesling and German wine in the Rheingau and Rheinhessen areas, as well as almost all all the other German wine producing areas. The Rheingau in particular, with it’s history of winemaking fascinated me and I discovered a world of Riesling at its very best. I have always wanted to go back to this truly amazing area, and have for years talked to my son and son-in-law - both of whom share my passion for wine at its best - about arranging a visit to this magical stretch of the Rhine River that for some 40 or so km, runs east west from Rüdesheim to Mainz, The Rheingau is in my humble opinion, the home of some of the best Riesling’s in the world of wine. This opportunity arose in October this year and after contacting several guide companies, we decided to engage Jerome Heinz of Bottlestops to be our guide for a 2 day (Saturday and Sunday) private tour. Our decision to use Jerome was based on the way he understood our needs for a tour that would have the right balance between the the history surrounding Riesling ad the new wave of innovative winemakers developing red (Pinot noir) and whitle (Pinot gris) wine in the face of changing climate. We had two days that were absolutely amazing. Jerome proved to be the perfect guide. He structured our two days so as to give us insight into cutting edge wine making - innovation, imagination and experimentation on day 1 and then a deep-dive into the history of the region on day 2 - the role of the monasteries and the development of viticulture (Eberbach and Johannisberg - with visits to the cellars followed by tastings), while at the same time giving us insight into the cultural heritage of wine making. He knew his stuff! Highly knowledgeable and well attuned to our level of wine appreciation. He was also real fun to be with - a host with the most. We tasted Spätburgunders (Pinot noirs) that were on a par with the best Pinots from Burgundy, Grauburgunders (Pinot gris) that were complex and mouth filling. Then of course we delighted in Riesling in all its variants (Kabinett, Trocken, Spätlese and more……). Fortunately we were disciplined and used the spittoon well. Rarely have I had to regret spitting and pouring out wine so often so as to clear my palate for the next wine delight. Swallowing every drop would have left me befuddled. Add to this - well chosen lunch breaks to enjoy local traditional cuisine. Our luggage included 40m of bubble wrap and tape (essential equipment for a wine tour such as this), and we managed (2 well packed suitcases slightly overweight) to bring back 25 bottles of the best of the estates we visited. We look forward ro many good mealtimes well accompanied by excellent wine and great memories from the Rheingau and Rheinhessen! If you are looking for a few days focussed on German wine and German wine culture at its best - contact Jerome Heinz at Bottlestops (Bottlestops.com).

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Anthony B.

August 19, 2025

Jerome was incredible on our wine tasting in early July! Not only was he incredibly informative, but extremely personable and hospitable. If you are making your way through Mainz, or are in the Frankfurt area, you should make it a point to make this one of the stops on your trip, or something to explore as a local! We are still raving about our experience to friends.

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Håkon S.

August 01, 2025

Had an excellent tour! We did the tasting in Rheingau, the pick-up point at the train station in Mainz was easy to find, and our tour guide, Jerome, was excellent. Our tour included three stops, and we learned a lot about the history of wine making in Germany, and also about the local regions as well. After the tour, Jerome was also very helpful in suggesting restaurants and other recommendations in the Mainz area. We highly recommend Bottlestops if you are in the Mainz or Frankfurt area and want to explore German wines!