The 48th Rheingau Wine Week will be officially opened on Friday, August 8, at 5 p.m. on the stage in front of the town hall. Wiesbaden's Lord Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende and Mayoress Christiane Hinninger will give the starting signal in the presence of the Rheingau and Wiesbaden wine majesties.

A total of 50 bands will provide the perfect musical backdrop on the three stages in front of the town hall, the market church and on the Dern'schen grounds. The musical performances, including band classics such as "Krüger Rockt" and "Los 4 del Son", end at 10 pm on all ten days of the event. The programme will be complemented by bands performing at the wine festival for the first time, such as the live party band "Apetizer", the Wiesbaden lounge-pop band "Café Bossa" and the New York soul-pop singer "Will G. & the Soul11 Band".

Another premiere is the "Riesling Vibes" in front of the Marktkirche on Monday, August 11, where you can enjoy electronic music with a relaxed glass of wine after work. From 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm, up-and-coming DJs from the region will be playing relaxing lounge music, while from 7 pm to 10 pm, DJ Peter Latino will be creating a rousing atmosphere with electronic and house beats.

This year, various wineries from the area around the Ukrainian twin town of Kamjanez-Podilskyj will be presenting fine sparkling wines and wines. The stand can be found on the corner of Marktstraße and Ellenbogengasse in front of the town hall. Wiesbaden's youngest twin city also offers interesting discoveries in a glass of wine thanks to dedicated young winegrowers. Kamajanez-Podilskyj is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Ukraine and Wiesbaden's youngest twin city.

There are various new culinary offerings: On Schlossplatz this year, "Hessisches allerlei", potato potato chips and chocolate strawberries are the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine. Galettes and crêpes, tarte flambée and barbecue skewers can be found on the Dern'schen grounds. The "Käsereich" - known for Dutch cheeses - and Wiesbaden's "Hofköche" will be working together for the first time to provide the perfect specialties to go with Riesling, Pinot Blanc and co. You can find the exact location of all the offerings on the stand map (opens in a new tab).

To ensure that the city remains clean during the festival, plastic crockery and cutlery will continue to be avoided and there will once again be a reusable bottle deposit of three euros.

ESWE Versorgung has been ensuring this for decades during the Rheingau Wine Week. The Wiesbaden-based energy service provider always presents a new, limited edition collector's glass at its water stand (stand 54), where you can refresh yourself free of charge. This year's design by graphic designer Mirjam Pönisch shows a stylized woman with a wreath of flowers and flowing hair enjoying a glass of water - in keeping with the motto "It's time for ZwiWa - Zwischenwasser". The glass of water is available there for a donation of one euro. The proceeds will go to the Wiesbaden/Rheingau-Taunus Stroke Initiative.

You don't get this opportunity very often: on August 9 and 16, as part of the Rheingau Wine Week, you can climb the tower of the market church on Schlossplatz from 2 to 5 p.m. and enjoy a magnificent view over Wiesbaden and the Wine Week.

For the first time this year, awareness teams from the youth welfare initiative Moja e.V. will be out and about at the wine festival on both Friday and Saturday evenings from 7 pm to 1 am. They will provide information about safe nightlife, offer direct support if required or refer people to security and emergency services. The teams are recognizable by their red bags, black T-shirts and purple vests. They are there to help create safe spaces, promote mutual respect and set clear boundaries against discriminatory or abusive behavior.