Rheingau is one of 13 designated German wine regions (
Weinbaugebiete) producing quality wines (
QbA and
Prädikatswein). It was named after the traditional region of
Rheingau (meaning "Rhine district"), the wine region is situated in the state of
Hesse, where it constitutes part of the
Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district. Although, making up only 3 percent of the total German vineyard area, Rheingau has been the source of many historically important innovations in German wine making, and contains many wine producers of international reputation, such as
Schloss Johannisberg. Rheingau, with of vineyards in 2008, also boasts a higher proportion of
Riesling (78.8%) than any other German wine-growing region, with
Spätburgunder (Pinot noir) making up most of the rest (12.2%), followed by
Müller-Thurgau (1.6%).