Rheingau Literature Festival: WeinLese 2026
Renowned authors will once again be guests at the Rheingau Literature Festival "WeinLese" from August 27 to 30 and September 24 to 27.
In 2026, idyllic venues will once again open their doors to the pure joy of reading. During this year’s grape harvest, a literary season will take place over a weekend in late summer and another at the end of September, featuring a total of ten readings at unique cultural sites throughout the Rheingau. Renowned authors will engage in conversation with well-known moderators about their respective books and offer excerpts from them. This year’s venues include the Baron Knyphausen Winery, the Balthasar Ress Winery, Johannisberg Castle, Villa Belvedere, and the Kelterhalle of the Rheingau Music Festival.
Ten readings with big names in contemporary literature
The 2026 Rheingau Literature Festival invites you to a diverse series of readings featuring both emerging literary voices and leading figures in contemporary literature. Felicitas Hoppe will kick off the festival on August 27 at the Balthasar Ress Winery in Eltville with her book *Reisen* (Travel), a witty and insightful reflection on the act of being on the move.
Neil MacGregor (August 28), on the other hand, will take us on a journey through the history of music, illustrated by the example of English enthusiasm for German composers —fitting this year’s “United Kingdom” theme of the Rheingau Music Festival and, at the same time, a subject close to the heart and stomach of the Scottish cultural historian, who is thus ensuring that the Rheingau Literature and Music Festival are as closely intertwined in terms of content as they have always been organizationally.
On August 29, Nadine Schneider will read from her novel “Das gute Leben” at Villa Belvedere in Eltville, a work that traces the history of Romanian-German families across generations.
August 30 features two events: At 11 a.m., Ingo Schulze will present “Das Wasser im August” at the Kelterhalle in Oestrich-Winkel, offering a very personal retrospective on the GDR, while at 5 p.m., Barbara Honigmann will read from her collection of short stories “Mischka” at the same venue, shedding light on Jewish life in the postwar era.
Readings in September
The festival continues in September: On September 24, Peter Stamm will be a guest at the Draiser Hof in Eltville-Erbach with "Beyond Prague," a story about love and memory.
On September 25, Judith Hermann will follow at the Kelterhalle in Oestrich-Winkel with "Ich möchte zurückgehen in der Zeit" (I Want to Go Back in Time), a poignant exploration of family history.
On September 26, Norbert Gstrein will read from his novel “Im ersten Licht” there.
The series concludes on September 27 at Schloss Johannisberg: At 11 a.m. in the Fürst-von-Metternich-Saal, the 2026 Rheingau Literature Prize will be awarded; however, the author will be announced at the end of April. The award, which has been presented since 1994, is endowed with 11,111 euros and 111 bottles of the finest Rheingau Riesling thanks to grants from the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Art and Culture, the Rheingau Musik Festival e.V., and the VDP Rheingau. On the same day at 5 p.m., Dörte Hansen will read from her new novel "Feldwege" in the Fürst-von-Metternich-Saal, a work that focuses on family conflicts and rural life.
hr2-kultur supports the Rheingau Music Festival as a media partner.