Rauenberger Winzerkerwe 2026

Largest Wine Festival in the Wine Town of Rauenberg

The Rauenberger Winzerkerwe is the most important wine festival in the wine town of the same name in northern Kraichgau. Every year on the second weekend of October — presumably from Saturday, October 3rd, to Monday, October 5th, 2026 — the town center of Rauenberg transforms into a vibrant wine festival scene with a festival tent, arbors, costumed people, and thousands of guests from the region. The event is organized by the town of Rauenberg together with the local vintner associations — above all the Interessengemeinschaft Rauenberger Winzer e.V.

Wines from Northern Kraichgau

Rauenberg is located in the Baden, Kraichgau region — known for its calcareous, well-drained soils and mild climate between the Rhine and the Black Forest. The Winzerkerwe is the ideal opportunity to taste the wines of the Rauenberg vintners directly from their producers: Burgunder grapes (Weißer, Grauer, and Spätburgunder), Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Kerner, Lemberger, and Dornfelder. The wines are served by the glass in the festival tent arbors — usually "a Schoppen" (0.25 l) or "a Viertele" (0.5 l) at a fair price.

Three Days of Festival with Program

Saturday evening: Opening with the traditional tapping of the first wine barrel by the mayor. Live music in the festival tent creates a great atmosphere. Sunday: Morning pint with brass music. In the morning, the "Winzerspaß" — Rauenberg vintners compete in fun contests (wheelbarrow race, barrel rolling). 2:00 PM: Highlight — the vintners' festival parade through the town center with traditional costumes, decorated wagons, music bands, and club floats. Monday: Traditional family day with children's program and a more relaxed conclusion.

Gastronomy and Atmosphere

In addition to the wines, clubs and restaurateurs offer regional specialties: Zwiebelkuchen (onion tart), Flammkuchen (trench tart), sausages, potato soup, Maultaschen (Swabian ravioli), Saumagen (stuffed pig's stomach), pumpkin cream soup, and in October, of course, fresh "Federweißer" (young, semi-fermented grape must). Live music in the festival tent — usually regional cover bands and brass music — creates a great atmosphere. Families will find a small children's carousel and hands-on activities for the little ones.

Rauenberg — the Wine Town in Kraichgau

Rauenberg (Rhein-Neckar district, district code 08226, around 8,000 inhabitants) is one of Baden's most traditional wine-growing communities. Its location between Heidelberg (15 km north) and Sinsheim (15 km east) makes Rauenberg easily accessible. The town has held the designation "Weinstadt" for years and is intensively involved in preserving wine culture. The Winzerkerwe is the annual highlight and flagship of the town.