Searching for the Queen of White Wines

It’s 11.30PM on a warm Saturday night in August and Frankfurt’s annual Museum Embankment Festival is in full flow. With bars, a somewhat random selection of stalls selling everything from pro-cannabis campaign badges to jewelry and craft wares, and music stages stretching down both sides of the mighty Main river, it’s easy to see why this predominantly business-focussed city feels alive with decadence this evening.
Hipsters, hoodies, bankers and fashionistas are all present and correct, along with Elvis impersonators, gel-haired rockabilly performers and the obligatory deep house DJ. The various museums that line this stretch of the waterfront are open late into the evening, and as a result it’s a loud, busy experience that stands in stark contrast to the previous four days spent exploring the largely undersold surrounding region.
After 20-minutes inside the spacious (40-metre square) bedroom at the Frankfurter Hof- the oldest hotel in the city and a splendid five star member of the Steigenberger group- the luxury that comes with staying in a cosmopolitan centre of international finance is definitely welcome. But we still can’t help but lament the journey here.
And for good reason, too. The Rheingau area is easily amongst the country’s most beautiful. A mixture of sprawling metropole and intimate, picturesque and decidedly traditional German-looking towns and villages, this is the finest place on Earth to reap the palette-pleasing profits of a good Riesling yield. Or so we’re told, again, and again, and again. Still, it’s no wonder the locals are so proud when they make such impressive wines, and have such a proud history of oenology.
Take the Queen Victoria Vineyard, AKA Königin Victoriaberg, for example. Spanning several hectares of field below the perimeter walls of Hochheim, this delightful situation- overlooking a tiny lake- is every bit as wonderful as the bottles produced here. Taking its name from the moment Queen Victoria decided the top of the range Riesling from this particular grower was to be her choice imported tipple, a monument erected in her honour, now in desperate need of renovation and repair, provides the focal point.
Henning Hupfeld, the current owner, beams with a deservedly self-congratulatory smile as he recounts several stories of just how well-regarded his product is. From meeting Margaret Thatcher to providing drinks for senior figures in the U.S. military, it’s remarkable to think that, for all intents and purposes, we’re talking about a farmer toasting heads of state and army masterminds- all thanks to this one bottle, or perhaps more appropriately, what it contains. We taste the sweet but exquisite Auslese from 1999, and one of the last bottles in the world at that, before moving on to a more contemporary piquant crafted by new partner in the business, Reiner Flick, owner of the Joachim Flick winery (named after his father).
Of course Hochheim isn’t the only town around these parts threatening to leave you with a headache the next day. Nearby Rudesheim offers a more touristy affair, with an abundance of gift shops selling everything from Riesling (of course) to chocolates, and Rudesheimer Schloss- a hotel and restaurant featuring impressive home-cooked food, an appealing terrace area and live music, ranging from the traditional to a bizarre selection of international pop, re-read Rheingau style, aimed at entertaining visiting river cruise tour groups in the early evening.
Closer to Frankfurt, and Wiesbaden- one of Germany’s most opulent spa towns, and home to more millionaires at the turn of the 20th Century than anywhere in the country- prefers to keep it more upmarket, with its Bond-style Spielbank casino providing the opportunity to dress well, spend lots, and even catch one of the touring concerts that use the stunning exterior grounds for after-dark performances. Meanwhile, by wandering into the hills overlooking the town’s abundant villas you’ll find the expansive Neroberg park, home to yet another vineyard (of the same name), where it’s possible to spend an afternoon tasting right next to the vines by booking a group trip with the local tourist board.  
Still, charming as they are, Hochheim couldn’t help steal the limelight, and not least because it boasts something of a hidden secret. Hochheimer Kunstsammlung is housed in an innocuous building the likes of which you can blink and miss. Nevertheless, it’s wise to keep an eye out for the small, unassuming sign, as this gallery hosts a startling private collection amassed over the last four decades. A place where A.R. Penck’s efforts- smuggled across the Berlin Wall from East to West during the 1970s- hang next to sculptures by Salvador Dali, and work from Joseph Beuys, Rudolf Jahns, and Jean Cocteau.
Amazingly, our guide through this intimate interior is giving her first English-language tour of what they have to show, indicative of quite how few people know of the experience. Taking just an hour or so to take in everything there is to see, it may be a far cry from the Continent’s big-hitter galleries and their oft-overwhelming sizes, yet there’s a charm and passion evident here that would be difficult to replicate if this weren’t all the result of art enthusiasts striving to buy pieces that spoke to them, and keep a venture alive with evidently little-to-no funding.
Back in the elegant room at Frankfurter Hof and one thing seems abundantly clear, aside from the fact this city is home to 255 banks. While the town itself is overgrown with skyscrapers and a financial attitude, its many cultural institutions, wonderful Opera House (one of the few buildings to survive a World War II bombardment that flattened most streets), and the strange but poignant Dialogue Museum- where visitors are guided through pitch black rooms by a blind or partially sighted professional- mean there’s plenty more going on here than merely brokered deals. Meanwhile, any arrival into the airport- one of Europe’s biggest and busiest- would be doing both themselves and their destination a huge disservice by not dedicating at least some time to the outlying settlements.
And no, that’s not just the Riesling talking.