Wurstmarkt, Bad Duerkheim, biggest winefestival in the world

Wurstmarkt Bad Dürkheim, biggest wine festival in the world, 12. - 16 and 19. - 22. september 2008

Let me introduce you to the mother of all winefestivals as nobody else does:

It's one of the largest, most traditional and entertaining public festivals in Germany. It is over 570 years old, and still as young as ever - the Dürkheim festival of festivals - the main event of the year in the Pfalz.

The entertainment along with the wine is one of the distinctive features of the festival. You can enjoy over 150 different wines in over 50 different places - from the mellow Riesling to the finest ice-wine.

copied from official site

Forget about that 150 different wines - they are just to fuc silly to translate. 2008 there are 299 different wines (link (in german) for reference)

Bad Duerkheim lies on the German Wine Route in the Pfalz (Palatinate) wine growing region in Germany protected of prevailing south western winds by the Palatinate Forest that forms, together with the adjacent northern vosges mountains, a landscape with UNESCO biosphere reserve status. Wine has been planted in Bad Duerkheim boundaries from roman times, roman villas have been found in Ungstein and Wachenheim.

On the Wurstmarkt just wine that is planted in city boundaries is allowed to be sold, and all wine has to be considered good enough by a jury about half year before the festival. There are about 600 000 visitors each year, there is an amusement park beside the most important part - the so called Schubkarchstaende (Schubkarch = wheel barrow) and the Weindorf (wine village) where the wine is sold. The Schubkarchstaende are named because in the beginning of the Wurstmarkt in the 14th century the wine had been transported in wheel barrows to the Michaelsberg, where a pilgrimage to a chapel consecrated to St. Michael took place on 29. september, the day of St. Michael, it`s the place for socialising and "meeting good old friends you have never seen before". The Weindorf is the more intimate "Gourmet" part of the festival.

Have a look on the official site for the Schubkarchstaende and the Weindorf/ Wine village to see the vintners and winemakers and get further information about them.

So, if you are in that area you should not miss that fun. Bad Duerkheim can be reached by tram from Mannheim and Ludwigshafen in 30 minutes; rather stay in Mannheim than in Ludwigshafen, the advantage of Ludwigshafen is that it should have rooms available, Frankenthal is also an option.

Hopp, Hopp, Hopp, Schoppe in de Kopp!

(I`ll translate that one at the Schubkarchstand)

8 days to go! YEEEEEHAAAA!

PDF File of all wines and winemakers

299 wines and sparkling wines, of them:

175 white wines (97 Riesling wines)
43 Weissherbst and Rose wines
57 Red wines

My wife missed this one last year, so I was thinking about going next weekend.

Of the 299 wines, any specific recommendations that we should look for this year?

Wow! That brings back memories. Most wine served in 1/2 litre flagons. The icewines - they just hand you a 375ml bottle.
Had to park well away - it was packed - we went by bus and even then had to walk (not a chore).
It still hurts to recall pouring away gallons - but there's no way to just sample. The aroma of riesling lasted for days! And I took the icewines home with me.

Don`t have any recommendations yet... ...but heard about some good Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Scheurebe Auslese. That will be my first 3.

But I found a video of a webcam inside a Schubkarchstand showing 2 days in fast motion...there is also a live webcam from #25, another webcam inside a tent and one webcam overlooking the Schubkarchstaende if anybody wants to have a look...

That's good to hear... my favorite white grape is the Gewürztraminer! Always looking to try out some new ones.

Well, 5 days to go for 2009 Wurstmarkt, the links above are working for 2009.

Don`t get scared when it says 11.-15. + 18.-21.9.2009, the winestalls are open from 11.-21.09.2009. Just the fairground is closed on the 16th and 17th. Don`t ask me why they are closed in these 2 days, I don`t know it, but I am pretty sure that this reason is completely unreasonable and ridiculous.

Edit:According to some red nosed folks I`ve met there some wine stalls are closed, so maybe there are just 100 (150?200?) different wines to choose from... well, at least there is something to drink

Also do not wonder about that 333 meter long piece of concrete that looks like it was once part of something that burnt down. It is just a 333 meter long piece of concrete that was once part of a saline that burnt down in spring 2007. Politicians said that it is getting reconstructed when it was still smoldering. Now they say: "I did not say when the reconstruction will start." Funny. Cause that`s what I thought when he was still talking.