The Pfalz runs for eighty kilometres along the eastern edge of the Haardt mountains, a continuation of the Vosges, and the mountains do the same job here that they do in Alsace on the other side. They block the rain, and what is left is the warmest and driest corner of Germany, mild enough that figs and almonds grow between the vineyards. With nearly 24,000 hectares it is the second largest German region after Rheinhessen.

Riesling covers more ground here than anywhere else on earth, and in this climate it ripens fully, giving wines with more body and riper fruit than the Mosel or the Rheingau. The Mittelhaardt in the north, around Deidesheim, Forst and Wachenheim, holds the classic estates. The Pinot family does exceptionally well across the region, in all three colours, and the Deutsche Weinstraße that runs its length has made the Pfalz as much a destination for visitors as a source of bottles.