The northernmost wine-region Europe's makes clean, mostly dry white wines.
The region's southern flair lets one forget that one is actually in the northernmost wine region of Germany in spite of the 'light sands along the Saale'. in spite of the northern position the region enjoys a good microclimate. The vines grow on small 'warm islands' that are formed in the river valleys. The castles and fortresses between Unstrut and the Thüringer Forest are a part of the region's history. The emperors of Sachsen-Weißenfels are whom we have to thank for the romantic wine-houses from the 18th century. The small amounts of wine, that is made in this small wine region, was used as a method of payment in Socialist times, and still has rare importance here. The wines have interestin character and are marked by their typical personality.
The Müller-Thurgau is the main vine in Saale and Unstrut. It takes up 26% f the growing area. White Burgundy, Sylvan, and Gutedel re approximately equally represented. The Riesling is on the best sites, but doesn't reach its full quality every year. The Traminer is sometimes surprisingly fruity. Kerner is a relatively new vine in this region. Other vines are Morio-Muscat, Bacchus, Spätburgunder with nervy acidity, Portuguese with strong color. Dornfelder is partially processed in small barrels. A real rarity is the André, which cannot be found anywhere else in Germany. The blue Zweigelt was imported from Austria and enjoys great popularity.
The wines of this region are best met at one of the vintners fairs or in one of the many restaurants and places like them to be enjoyed with the Thüringer cuisine. Hearty meals are the specialty of Saale and Unstrut.
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