If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Pfalz region of southwestern Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local Pinot Noir.

The Pfalz is a narrow region about 80 kilometers long, close to the river Rhine. The Church owned the best vineyards until Napoleon redistributed them. There are about 25,000 vineyards whose average size is less than a hectare (about 2.5 acres). Given the small size of their plot, most vineyard owners must work elsewhere to make a living. While Pfalz was once the number one German wine producing region, it now ranks number two in both total wine production and vineyard acreage behind its northern neighbor, Rheinhessen. In the Pfalz, sometimes called the Tuscany of Germany, temperatures often climb into the mid ninety degrees Fahrenheit (mid thirty degrees Centigrade) and many farmers raise "southern" crops such as figs and lemons.

About 80% of Pfalz wine is white. The most widely grown grape varieties are the German developed hybrid Mueller Thurgau, and the generally higher quality Riesling. Local red grape varieties include Portugieser and to a lesser extent Pinot Noir, better known by its German name, Spaetburgunder. About 10% of Pfalz wine is classified as basic table wine, over 70% as middle of the road QbA wine, and the remainder is classified as higher quality QmP wine.

The German Wine Road crosses the Pfalz region. Virtually anywhere you go on this road you can find something worth seeing, worth tasting, and I daresay worth eating. The city of Neustadt and its suburbs are at the approximate midpoint of this road. Every October they host the Deutsches Weinlesefest (German Wine Harvest Festival) with many, many floats and a German Wine Queen. Make sure that you visit the Marktplatz (market square) on market days (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) when local farmers sell their produce. Take a look at the square's many Baroque and Renaissance buildings and its Gothic church whose north tower boasts the largest cast-iron bell in the world. If you're up to it, you can climb the south tower and enjoy the view.

You may find it harder to view the Elwetritsche, a fabled half bird, half human creatures of the Pfalz forest. You can ride through the forest on the Kuckucksbaehnel (Steam Train) from the Eisenbahn Museum (Railroad Museum) behind the main train station. You'll have to plan in advance because these trains run only on alternate Sundays in season. Finish your tour of Neustadt's Old Town with a few medieval lanes where you will probably want to eat, drink, and shop.

Before reviewing the Pfalz wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Grumbeersupp (Potato Soup). For your second course enjoy Gequellde mit Lewwerworscht (Cooked Potatoes with Liver Sausage). As a dessert indulge yourself with Schwarzwaelder Torte (Black Forest Cake, Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream and Cherries).

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