My First Visit to Bingen am Rhein - Part 1
The opening ceremony for the Binger Winzerfest. 1/1600s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.
When you think of wine your first thoughts probably turn to France or Italy, Germany on the other hand we would normally associate with beer. But that would be to do our German friends a great disservice as they too produce many types of fine wines. I was about to get a real taste with a visit to Bingen am Rhein at the heart of Germany’s wine growing region. If you tuned into last week’s blog, then you’ll know that Bingen am Rhein is twinned with my hometown of Hitchin and as a member of the local town twinning association I was going on my first visit. Hopefully the first of many.
Bingen Rathaus (townhall) where we gathered for the official greeting. I wish Hitchin’s townhall looked like this. 1/640s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.
The view of Bingen am Rhein from the Rathaus. 1/2500s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.
The official greeting was delivered by the deputy mayor. 1/250s 58mm F1.4 ISO 250.
I didn’t manage to take any photos on the very first day but that was mostly travelling. Thankfully Bingen is not far from an airport and although the Ryanair flight was not very comfortable it was at least mercifully short and much cheaper than taking the train. Others did indeed take the train and unfortunately for them they quickly learned firsthand just how bad the German train system can be. A subject I will have much more to say about in a future blog. The first evening I was whisked off to a local wine club meeting with a tour of a winery before tucking into food and naturally a variety of wines. It set the stage nicely for the rest of the weekend.
After a short speech we were all given a Bingen goody bag as a gift, very thoughtful. 1/250s 58mm F1.4 ISO 250.
We all had an opportunity to sign the visitor book as a permanent record of our visit. We flicked back through the pages to find the last trip from Hitchin in 2019. 1/250s 35mm F1.4 ISO 125.
Our groups of visitors and hosts with the deputy mayor and the head of tourism. 1/800s 35mm F2.8 ISO 64.
On the first proper day we all headed to the Rathaus, no that isn’t a place where all the town’s rats live, that is the German word for townhall. Though this one almost looked like a small castle. We were attending the formal greeting by the deputy mayor of Bingen and it also provided a good opportunity for socialising. One thing I should mention is that everyone was staying with different hosts scattered around the area. Being in a local’s house is a much more authentic experience than everyone crowding into a hotel and part of the spirit of town twinning. Following the giving of gifts and signing the visitor book we headed into town for lunch before returning to our hosts’ houses for a few quieter hours.
Going for a walk in Dromersheim we could get up close to the important local crop. 1/400s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.
My host Stefan points to something in the distance from the top of the hill. 1/1000s 35mm F1.4 ISO 64.
We were certainly in a beautiful part of the country. This shot shows the villages and towns nestled between the hills. 1/160s 200mm F4.0 ISO 160.
This panoramic shows off just how big the River Rhine is, what an amazing thing to have on your backdoor step. Click to enlarge. 1/320s 200mm F4.0 ISO 64 Three Photo Panoramic.
Bingen is not just a single town but a collection of villages of varying size and I was staying in Dromershein which was further out into the countryside. I was trained well by my host Stefan that it is indeed the best part of Bingen. In the afternoon Stefan took me up the hill behind his house and showed me the local vineyards, or Weinberge. ‘Berg’ means ‘mountain’ in German and that gives you an idea of the sort of terrain grapes are grown on in Germany, steep slopes. It’s a very different experience to Kent and I enjoyed seeing the different types of grapes being grown as well as the great views of the surrounding area. Afterwards, still having time, we jumped in the car and visited a vantage point over the Rhine itself, looking at towns and landmarks I would visit later in the trip.
The new wine princesses for Bingen am Rhein. 1/200s 58mm F1.4 ISO 1000.
Each wine princess has their own wine which they have chosen and advocate for. 1/200s 58mm F1.4 ISO 1000.
It was no accident that we were in Bingen in September as we had arrived just in time for the start of their Winzerfest - wine festival. What was special about this one is that it is the longest Winzerfest on the Rhine at ten days long. Friday was the official opening and as it was known that I am a photographer I was taken back to the town hall to witness (and photograph) the wine princesses present their wines. So, what’s this all about? Every two years new wine princesses are chosen to be local ambassadors for the towns and their wines. It’s a largely ceremonial role but comes with a great deal of local prestige and adds to the sense of localism and community. This first bit was very formal with speeches from various people, before the tasting of each of the three wines. One for each wine princess.
Converting some of my images to mono gave a really classic look. 1/200s 58mm F1.4 ISO 1000.
Each wine princess gave a speech and an explanation for their wines before everyone got a chance to taste them. 1/200s 58mm F1.4 ISO 1000.
The new wine princesses were dressed in blue and the old ones were dressed in red. Perhaps they were giving tips on wearing the crown. 1/250s 58mm F1.4 ISO 1000.
I was a little surprised to see I was the only representative from Hitchin here and was rather amused when I was pointed out to everyone (in very fast German), but it was a real privilege to see this part of the festival. Tasting a few more wines didn’t hurt either. As things were drawing to a close, I was taken down the steps to the town square where the main stage was. Laid out here were also reserved tables for specific guests to sit at and low and behold there was one for Hitchin. Time for more drinking. Somehow within twenty-four hours I had already gotten a reputation for preferring sweeter wines, an accusation I can’t deny.
A table was reserved for us in front of the main stage. 1/160s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.
Greeting old friends. 1/500s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.
What followed was a good hour (at least) of one speech after another from various local officials and of course the wine princesses, who I had also photographed coming down all those steps. The old wine princesses had actually been in position longer than usual due to Covid and after everyone had spoken the new ones were crowned and the festivities could really get underway.
The wine princesses descend down the steps to the main stage. 1/250s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.
Obviously I wasn’t the only photographer there on the day and there were plenty of photos being taken for social media. 1/800s 58mm F1.4 ISO 64.
One of the starkest differences between the UK and Germany is the strong regional identities of the latter. There’s nothing like this back home in Hitchin and I really can’t think of anywhere else in the UK that has something similar either. Sadly almost all of our own local traditions seems to have been lost, either forgotten or replaced by more commercial ones. We barely even celebrate May Day or Harvest Festival these days, which makes us seem very culturally impoverished in comparison. But it’s these kinds of things you get to experience and think about as part of town twinning and for that I am grateful. Tune in next week for the second part of my trip.
There were a fair few speeches on the main stage which really pushed my German listening skills to their limits. 1/250s 116mm F4.0 ISO 160.
The crowning of the new wine princesses. 1/250s 170mm F4.0 ISO 200.
Everyone on stage at the end of the opening ceremony. 1/250s 98mm F4.0 ISO 250.
If you enjoyed this blog then please consider leaving a tip below.
