Blog "BottleStops"
Follow me! Next stop: German winery
Wine tours in Germany? Excuse me? Neuschwanstein, beer gardens, Elbphilharmonie—but German wine? Typical foreign visitors to Germany associate the country with beer, not wine. Jérôme Hainz experienced this 20 years ago—and it annoyed him.
At the beginning of the millennium, he was traveling internationally in the trade fair business in Anglo-Saxon countries and China. Surprisingly, far away from home, he discovered his love for German wine. Some people discover their love for their homeland when they are far away! "German winemakers are proud of their good wines – but they are often not very good at selling their high-quality wines to foreign visitors." Jérôme Hainz is closing this gap.
During his business trips to wine-growing regions in the U.S. and Australia, he discovered how easy and accessible it is to visit wineries internationally and gain a lasting impression of the wine and production methods firsthand. Inspired by this, Jérôme launched BottleStops in Mainz in 2017: wine tours specifically designed for international visitors.
Anyone who wants to visit Germany and lands in Frankfurt can hop right into Jérôme’s minibus and visit wineries on a personalized itinerary. The “people mover” seats nine people. The wine-growing regions of Rheinhessen, Rheingau, Nahe, Mosel, and Mittelrhein are all nearby. A typical day tour begins at Eberbach Abbey and ends at the Braunewell winery in Essenheim, Rheinhessen. With the flair of a trained event manager and his laid-back manner, Jérôme Hainz expertly guides guests through the highlights of German wine culture—all the while sprinkling in interesting facts along the way. The “personal guide” speaks English, of course—but BottleStops wine tours are also available in French. Guests spend up to seven hours on the tour: they visit two to three wineries and taste wines—five to eight wines per winery! The program is designed to be stress-free: “I like it when the winemakers welcome us in rubber boots—a visit to a winery should be relaxed!” is Jérôme Hainz’s motto. The selection of wines for the tasting is based on the guests’ preferences: What is a Riesling? Which grape varieties are typical of the region?
The Rhine-Hessian tour guide wants to "sell an authentic image of Germany" – beyond the cliché of "Liebfraumilch wine and pork knuckle."
In addition to the "BottleStops," there are of course also "food stops" – Jérôme Hainz focuses on regional, modern country cuisine and takes his customers to original country inns, such as Landgasthof Engel in Schwabenheim. Visitors experience a modern image of Germany with traditions.
During the travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, guests stayed away – but: "During the 'travel corridors' in August and September, there was a lot of activity on my website www.BottleStops.com: there is a lot of pent-up demand!" Jérôme Hainz is hoping for the summer, when travel restrictions will hopefully be lifted. He plans to purchase a larger vehicle – but his tours will remain individual.
"BottleStops" has earned the Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award 2022 in the "Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences" category because Jérôme Hainz has developed a professional offering that allows visitors from abroad to easily explore German wine-growing regions.
About the blogger
Wolfgang Junglas, a TV and wine journalist, works in the entertainment department at SWR Television in Mainz, where he produces programs such as “Election of the German Wine Queen.” He is an author, chairman of Weinfeder eV, president of FIJEV, and an adjunct lecturer at Geisenheim University—and, since 2021, the blogger for GWC Mainz | Rheinhessen.