Weinfest, Darmstadt

Every year, around the end of August and the beginning of September, Darmstadt celebrates the Weinfest. Wein means Wine, and Fest means festival, so Weinfest is Wine Festival. This festival, though not as big as Heinerfest, Schlossgrabelfest or the Weihnachtsfest, attracts huge crowds from in and around Darmstadt and transforms the city centre from a shopping area to a lively party zone.

Winemakers from in and around the region put up their stalls on Wilhelmeinstrasse ( on Luisenplatz). Varieties of wines: red, white, rose; sweet, dry, semi-dry, with and without alcohol are available for people to try.

While some vendors take up bigger spaces, offering tables and benches, there are others who have smaller stalls where you can buy the wine and enjoy it ‘on the go’. Germany’s famous ‘Phandsystem‘ works here too. You buy wine and pay a deposit for the glass. Then, you can take the glass with you ( for example, if you want to check out other stalls or just walk around while enjoying your wine). You get your deposit back when you return the glass (in good condition).

Apart from wine stalls, there are food stalls. So, one can even plan a meal on their visit.

Here are some of the common wine types that I saw this year when I attended this event:

Rotwein Trocken ( Dry Red Wine)
Rotwein Feinherb ( Semi-dry Red Wine)
Rose (Rose Wine)
Weißwein Trocken (Dry White Wine)
Weißwein Feinherb (Semi-dry White Wine)
Weißwein Fruchtig (White Wine with a fruity flavour)
Weiswein Lieblish ( Semi-sweet White Wine)
Sekt ( Sparkling Wine)
Secco (Carbonated but less bubbly than Sparkling wine)
Schorle ( a drink made by combining wine/fruit juice with water)
alkoholfreie Getränke ( Alcohol free drinks)

Under each category, you get wines made for different grapes, from different regions, etc. For example, in the category Weißwein Trocken, you will get Riesling Terra Fusca ( made using Riesling grapes from the Rhine region, grown on brown limestone clay soil), and you will also get Goldmuskateller ( made using Gold Muskat grapes, primarily grown in Rhineland Palatinate in Germany).

Darmstadt celebrates the wine fest, typically around the end of August or early September. The fest continues for a few days, typically starting on Thursday/Friday and ending on Sunday. For the exact dates, check out the Darmstadt City page: https://www.darmstadt.de/veranstaltungskalender

To learn about other events in Darmstadt, click here.

To know about places to visit in and around Darmstadt, click here.