Rudesheim is the gateway to the Rhineland, and while you can find perfume, jewelry and leather goods, wine is the main product sold here.
Wine
Wine making began in Rudesheim in 1074. The town’s wineries have cultivated their grapes over the centuries and while not as famous as the French and California industries, Rudesheim wine is sold all over the world. There are 25 different vintners in that sell special vintages and other goods.
Benedictine of St. Hildegard
At the abbey in the town of Rudesheim, the nuns of St. Hildegard have maintained their independence with wine-making. The nuns grow their own grapes on seven hectares. After a tour of the abbey, visitors are taken to the gift shop. The wine from St. Hildegard is sold there and patrons can also buy religious items such as bibles, icons and artistic prints. All artwork is authentic and mostly created by local artists. St. Hildegard sells 65 versions of pasta made on the premises. Visitors looking for unique souvenirs will not be disappointed.
Georg Breuer Winery
The Georg Breuer Winery began in 1880 and has expanded to 30 hectares of grapevines. In addition to wine, the winery uses artwork from more famous artists to distinguish the year the wine was made. A visitor to the winery can search vintage wine and reference the year by the print on the label. For instance, in 1985 one of Max Marek’s prints was featured on the wine bottle.
Weingut Adolf Storzel
Located by the Rhine River, the Adolf Storzel Winery is a family-owned winery. All of their wines are produced internally from the 15 acres of grapes. They sell a special Pinot Noir, that is world famous because the winery is located on a stretch of the Rhine that allows Pinot grapes to flourish.
Shopping for wine is exciting experience in Rudesheim. Wine buyers worldwide come to Rudesheim to purchase wines for restaurants. Buying wine and having it shipped home is dependent on international laws. When purchasing wine or other spirits, visitors need to be aware of their local laws and whether or not duty free applies to them. Some wineries insist on sending wine home so tourists need to be aware of the additional fees.