Weinfest Bretzenheim Season Opening (Weingut Karl Schmidt)

Straußwirtschaft as an Old Tradition

The Straußwirtschaft is a special form of farm tavern, dating back to a decree by Charlemagne in 812. Winemakers were allowed to serve their own wines for a few months of the year without a tavern license, indicated by a Strauss (ostrich) or a bundle of twigs hung at the farm. This tradition is revived at the season opening – Weingut Karl Schmidt opens its Straußi for four days.

Weingut Karl Schmidt – Family Tradition

Weingut Karl Schmidt is a traditional family winery that has cultivated viticulture over several generations. Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Silvaner, and selected red wines characterize the range. The season opening focuses on direct contact between the winemaker and the guest – tastings, farm sales, and relaxed hospitality.

Program for the Four Days

The Straußwirtschaft is open daily from 12 PM to 8 PM. Hospitality is provided in the courtyard, in the vinotheque, or outdoors when the weather is nice. The menu includes glasses of wine, wine spritzers, non-alcoholic beverages, along with small dishes such as Winzervesper (ham, cheese, bread), Flammkuchen, Spundekäs, and daily changing specialties. Farm sales are also open throughout the four days.

Bretzenheim and the Nahe-Rhine Corner

Bretzenheim is located in the Nahe valley shortly before its mouth into the Rhine, southwest of Bingen. The municipality belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Langenlonsheim-Stromberg and is one of the important wine-growing villages of the northern Nahe region. Worth seeing are the nearby Rheingrafenstein Castle ruins and the picturesque landscape at the transition between the Nahe and Rheinhessen regions.