Rheinhessen (in English often
Rhine-Hesse or
Rhenish Hesse) is the largest of 13 German wine regions (
Anbaugebiete) for quality wines (
QbA and
Prädikatswein) with under cultivation in 2008. Named for the traditional region of
Rhenish Hesse, it lies on the
left bank of the River Rhine between
Worms and
Bingen in the federal state of
Rhineland-Palatinate. Despite its historic name it is currently no longer part of the federal-state of
Hesse, this being the case since the end of WWII. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to legally reunite the former wine growing districts of Mainz on the hessian side during the post-war area. Rheinhessen produces mostly white wine from a variety of grapes, particularly
Müller-Thurgau (4.320 ha), Riesling (3.769 ha) and
Silvaner (2.467 ha), and is best known as the home of
Liebfraumilch, although some previously underrated
Rieslings are also made, increasingly in a powerful dry style.