Mainz – Founded in 1st Century BC by the Romans
Mainz is located on the left bank of the Rhine River in Germany, and is known as the wine capital of Germany. Luckily for me, Max had a work trip I was given the opportunity to tag along. Previously I have only been in the city long enough to admire the adorable street lights while meeting for a wine tour of local vineyards.
Meet Det, one of the Mainzelmännchen or Mainz little men. His outfit includes an adorable pointy hat and glasses. His purpose is to let pedestrians know when it is safe to cross the street. He is one of several mascots from German public television broadcaster ZDF. The mascots appeared in three to six second clips on the station.
Our hotel was located right along the river front or the Rhine Promenade of Mainz (Adenauer Ufer). Fall is a perfect time to explore the riverfront with the foliage changing, watching the boats go up and down the river, and wander along the bike path or pedestrian paths. There was a playground for kids to enjoy, and multiple art installations which encouraged interaction from passers by. Under further investigation, the leaves changing color from golden yellow to deep burgundy all along the walls are actually grape vines with small grapes still attached. Once I realized this, I began to see the city in a whole new light as I discovered the entire city is covered in grape vines.
As you are exploring Mainz it is hard to miss the red sandstone cathedral that dominates the cityscape. The Mainz Dom or St. Martin’s Cathedral began in 975 after Archbishop Willigis ordered the building of a new cathedral. It has stood for over 1000 years, witnessing huge amounts of history. Luckily the cathedral was unharmed from the bombings of World War II when almost 80% of Mainz was affected. The square around the Cathedral has cute shops, restaurants and adorable store fronts.
I was most impressed with how the Mainz Dom is still a major fixture in the community. On Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays there is a large market held surrounding the grounds of the Cathedral. The stalls had so much variety including fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers, and more. There were also smaller trucks with meats and fish for sale. In keeping with the wine culture of the city, small tables selling local wines and wine stalls were open.
Directly across from an entrance to the Mainz Cathedral is the Gutenberg Museum. Sadly the museum was closed due to relocating. The Gutenberg Museum is named after Johannes Gutenberg who was a Mainz native. Gutenberg invented the first metal movable metal type printing in the 15th century, changing the way information could be spread for all. Prior to his invention everything had to be painstakingly handwritten which was more labor intensive and more expensive. The museum has a copy of the famous Gutenberg Bible which took several years to produce one copy as the pages have hand drawn illustrations and printing from the printing press. Roughly only 200 copies of the Bible were made over several years. There is also a recreation of the original Gutenberg printing press.
Meandering away from the many city center sits Stephansberg street. If you follow up the small incline you will be rewarded with St. Stephen’s Church.
Upon entering the smaller church, a sense of calm washes over you as the inside of the church glows light blue from the stained glass windows. The stained glass was redone after the Church was badly damaged in 1857 when gunpowder storage nearby exploded. The windows were designed by Marc Chagall, and the first window was installed in 1978 when he was at the young age of 91. He completed the final window in 1984, a total of nine windows, right before his death at 98 years old. The side aisles later had nineteen windows created by Charles Mara between 1989 and 1997. Overall the blue glow inside the church is unlike anything I have seen before. If in the area, it is worth the trip.
In order to help appreciate Mainz, you have to understand that wine is a huge cultural influence. Local restaurants have a crafted wine list with a variety of options and only a few beers on tap. This is a huge change from the majority of Germany, especially Bavaria where liters of beers are king. We decided to do a local wine tour from Bottlestops to explore more the history and culture of wine. Previously we have taken Jerome’s tour of the local vineyards and loved it.
Jerome did an excellent job explaining Mainz history over the past 2000 years. Viticulture was originally introduced to the area by the Romans. The Roman Stage Theater can be visited and provides a nice view over the city. It was discovered in 1884 during the construction of a train station, and then further revealed in 1914 when canals were being built in the area. The excavation of the site began in 1997 revealing an auditorium with rows of seats into the slope.
With the Roman influence the focus of wine took off becoming important for trade and the local economy. During the middle ages wine became the drink of the people, and wines from Mosel and Rhine became increasingly popular with royalty as they were traded up and down the Rhine River. Riesling wines have been synonymous with Germany for years. History shows the first written reference to Riesling (“Riseslingen”) in a document from March 13, 1435. The Riesling vines originated in the Rhine region, which includes Mainz. Mainz was under French rule from 1797 to 1816 and influenced the local wine culture. Germany has thirteen wine growing regions with Mainz in the Rheinhessen region, the largest wine growing region of Germany. There are about 200 hectares of vineyards in the southern district of Mainz.
While Rieslings are still the majority of wines produced, I still prefer red wine. Our tasting provided great options such as Brut, Rieslings, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Madeleine. Not so surprisingly the victor in my book was a red wine, the Pinot Madeleine (Frühburgunder). The Frühburgunder is a natural mutation of the Pinot Noir and typically is a very difficult grape to work with low yields and moody. It does produce a delicious full-bodied dark red wine with fruity aromas.
One must see street is Kirschgarten. Think cobblestone street lined with half timber medieval houses. Along the street are little cafes and shops selling knickknacks.
Overall Mainz is a great town to spend a day or two exploring the history and, of course, tasting all the wine.