The Rote Hang in Nierstein is one of Rheinhessen’s most spectacular vineyard sites: The steep slopes drop straight down to the Rhine, and the wines produced here are among the finest from German vintners. And right in the middle of it all, Michael Voß drives his bright-blue truck with its cute, rounded hood and large cargo area in the back, packed full of wines, sparkling wine, and all kinds of delicacies.

The “wine truck” is truly one of a kind: “It’s a 1979 Barkas,” Michael explains, “those were the trucks of the GDR, built until 1991, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall.” Under the hood of this vintage truck beats an old two-stroke engine that, at most, can reach just 80 km/h. “I love driving it,” Michael says with a laugh, “it’s pure relaxation.” 

The Barkas was actually intended purely as a car hobby, but then Michael and his wife Julia got married—and were looking for someone to organize the champagne reception after the church ceremony. But there was no one offering such a service—and so the idea of a mobile wine and champagne bar was born. It had to be a van that could transport glasses and wines, snacks and mineral water and present them beautifully, a rolling bar, so to speak.

"I spent a few nights thinking about it, and then I knew what it should look like," says Michael, who is actually an architect. He did the conversion of the platform himself, which was an easy task compared to what came next: obtaining approval from the authorities. "I had to reassure a lot of people and explain that there wouldn't be a 40-ton truck rolling through the vineyards," says Michael, "you needed strong nerves to get that through everywhere."

Almost exactly three years ago to the day, the "wine truck" saw the light of the business world – first on Instagram. "I let the wine truck discover the world via Instagram," says Michael with a smile, "we didn't reveal who was behind it at first." The marketing strategy worked, guests simply fell in love with the beautiful old truck – and they came.

In addition to weddings and family celebrations, Michael and Julia quickly began offering wine tours by truck, which are now the second most important source of income for their small side business. "Guests come from all over: Berlin, Hamburg, the entire Rhine-Main area," says Michael, "and especially now during the coronavirus pandemic, requests are booming." With wine festivals canceled and all major events called off, the combination of the outdoors, spectacular views, and wine enjoyment is simply perfect right now.

"Our tours last about three to three and a half hours," explains Michael. Guests hike through the vineyards for half an hour, then meet the wine truck for refreshments and the first wine tasting. There are three stops in total. "We specialize in white wines and Blanc de Noirs," said Michael: "There are always two wines of the same grape variety, but from two different winemakers, for comparison."

The wines all come from winemakers in Nierstein, most of whom grow their grapes right here in the Roter Hang. "We live in a region where we have top wines and top wineries," says Michael, "so I think it would be wrong to say, 'This is the Roter Hang, but we offer other wines.'" This way, they can also introduce guests to the diversity of the Roter Hang, the wineries, and the production methods.

For the wineries, this is also an opportunity to present themselves to new guests, says Michael, "we are helping to market the Nierstein brand and Nierstein wine to a certain extent." Younger guests in particular are often reluctant to go directly to the wineries to buy wine, he says, and the wine truck helps to break down this barrier.

They now have so many inquiries that they are considering expanding—and the vehicle for this is already in the yard: a yellow Ape, a three-wheeled Piaggio, is waiting to become the smallest wine truck in the world... No wonder Michael and Julia won the 2020 Best of Wine Tourism Award in the "Innovative Wine Experiences" category.