Name: Days of Open Wine Cellars and Vineyards — Saale-Unstrut 2026
Start: 2026-08-01T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-08-02T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Weingüter entlang der Saale-Unstrut-Weinstraße

Days of Open Wine Cellars

About Days of Open Wine Cellars

On the first weekend of August, around 50 wineries and winegrower associations along the Saale-Unstrut Wine Route open their doors for tastings, cellar tours, vineyard hikes, and live music. The highlight is the tenth Night of Lights in the Herzogliches Weinberg Freyburg. In 2026 on August 1st and 2nd.

Dates 01 Aug — 02 Aug 2026

Venue Freyburg (Unstrut) (15084)

Prices 0.00€ — 35.00€

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Days of Open Wine Cellars — edition 2026

Tickets →

First weekend of August, around 50 wineries between the Saale-Unstrut Wine Route, Mansfelder Seen Wine Route, and Weiße Elster Wine Route open their cellars. Highlight: 10th Night of Lights in the Herzogliches Weinberg Freyburg on Saturday evening.

The 2026 edition of the Days of Open Wine Cellars will take place on the first weekend of August (August 1st and 2nd). Over two days, wineries will open their doors between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Program items vary greatly by winery: some offer cellar tours with tastings, others vineyard hikes, some even canoe trips on the Unstrut. Music and dancing will take place at most of the winegrowers' estates.

The highlight is the 10th Night of Lights in the Herzogliches Weinberg in Freyburg on Saturday evening — a staged light installation on the historic steep slope above the Unstrut.

Highlights Days of Open Wine Cellars 2026

50 wineries, three wine routes — 10th Night of Lights in Herzogliches Weinberg Freyburg — Cellar tours, vineyard hikes, canoe trips on the Unstrut — personal contact with the winegrowers

Programme Days of Open Wine Cellars 2026

Day 1 — Saturday, August 1, 2026

10:00 AM–6:00 PM — Open Wineries along the three wine routes
All day — Cellar tours, tastings, vineyard hikes
Several wineries with live music
Evening — 10th Night of Lights in the Herzogliches Weinberg Freyburg (Highlight)

Day 2 — Sunday, August 2, 2026

10:00 AM–6:00 PM — Wineries open again
Family programs at individual estates
Brunch offerings, live music, estate tours
Festival winding down in the late afternoon

Participating Wine Routes

Saale-Unstrut Wine Route (Freyburg, Bad Kösen, Naumburg, Laucha, Karsdorf)
Mansfelder Seen Wine Route (Höhnstedt, Seeburg)
Weiße Elster Wine Route (Zeitz, Plotha)

Program map and detailed program available at saale-unstrut-tourismus.de.

Prices Days of Open Wine Cellars 2026

Admission to the wineries is generally free; tastings and tours are subject to charges by each provider. Night of Lights requires a ticket.

Practical information

Practical information — Days of Open Wine Cellars

Getting There

Train: Freyburg station, Naumburg (Saale), Bad Kösen. Car: A9 exit Naumburg, then B180/B176 into the region.

Admission

Most wineries charge tasting fees or offer packages including a tour. The Night of Lights in the Herzogliches Weinberg requires a ticket.

On Site

Three wine routes, approx. 50 participating wineries, own travel between locations. Map and program available at weinregion-saale-unstrut.de and saale-unstrut-tourismus.de.

A Weekend of Open Cellars

The Days of Open Wine Cellars and Vineyards are one of the finest opportunities to get to know Germany's northernmost classic wine-growing region. The organizer is the Saale-Unstrut Winegrowers' Association, which annually invites around 50 wineries and winegrowing stations along the region's three wine routes to participate on the first weekend of August: the Saale-Unstrut Wine Route, the Mansfelder Seen Wine Route, and the Weiße Elster Wine Route.

Over 20 wineries offer exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses: cellar tours, tastings, vineyard hikes, canoe trips on the Unstrut, music, and dancing. A rare opportunity to talk personally with the winegrowers.

The Night of Lights — The Iconic Highlight

The weekend's highlight is the 10th Night of Lights in the Herzogliches Weinberg in Freyburg on Saturday evening. Hundreds of candles, torches, and LED lights illuminate the historic steep slope above the Unstrut — an almost dreamlike staging of the vineyard on a summer night, with live music, sparkling wine, and wines from the participating vintners.

Saale-Unstrut — The Northernmost Classic Wine Region

The Saale-Unstrut wine region extends across southern Saxony-Anhalt and northern Thuringia. With around 750 hectares of vineyards, it is one of Germany's smaller wine regions, but with over 1,000 years of documented tradition, it is one of the oldest. The cool locations, the shell limestone soils, and the protected valley situation result in predominantly fresh, mineral white wines — Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Weißburgunder, Riesling — as well as increasingly high-quality Spätburgunder.

Around and About

For those staying longer: The UNESCO World Heritage city of Naumburg with its cathedral is only 15 km away, as are the Rudelsburg and Burg Saaleck castles. Freyburg itself is worth an overnight stay with the Rotkäppchen sparkling wine cellars, Neuenburg Castle, and its historic town center. Winemakers from Laucha and wineries from Bad Kösen also participate in the weekend.