Next dates
2027 dates not yet announced — typically around May. We're watching and will update this page when they land.
Quick answer
Weinfest am Weingut at Weingut Lange Schloss Saaleck (Saaleck, Hammelburg) takes place 29–31 May 2026, set among the historic vineyard walls by Burg Schloss Saaleck. The estate pours its own Naturland-certified organic Franconian wines at the Weinkeller beside the castle, with Friday chill-lounge and Saturday house/techno DJ sets from Würzburg's club scene, and a shuttle bus running from Hammelburg on all three festival days.
Vineyard wine fest by Burg Schloss Saaleck — organic Franconian wines above Hammelburg.
Weinfest am Weingut gathers guests on the Saalecker Schlossberg at Weingut Lange Schloss Saaleck for three days of estate wines in a castle-and-vineyard setting. Friday opens with chill-lounge DJ sets at the wine pavilion from around 17:00; Saturday shifts to house and techno at the wine cellar from around 15:00, both drawing DJs from Würzburg's club scene; Sunday settles into a calmer, food-forward afternoon from around 11:00. It runs 29–31 May 2026, and it's a distinct event from several other Hammelburg wine festivals that share the Weingut Lange name or the town's own market square, including the Winzerweinfest am Marktplatz and the FC Hammelburg-organized Marktplatzweinfest — this is the vineyard-side weekend at the Schloss Saaleck Weinkeller, not those market-square events.
The full story
Weinfest am Weingut — also listed as Weinfest im Weinberg on some aggregator sites — is Weingut Lange – Schloss Saaleck's own three-day wine weekend, held in the Weinkeller built into the hillside beside Burg Schloss Saaleck, with views down over the Saale valley. The 2026 edition runs Friday 29 through Sunday 31 May: Friday evening opens with chill-lounge DJ sets at the wine pavilion, Saturday shifts to house and techno at the wine cellar, both drawing DJs from Würzburg's club scene, and Sunday settles into a calmer, food-forward afternoon better suited to families and daytime visitors. Throughout, the pour is the estate's own Naturland-certified organic Franconian wine, made from hand-harvested fruit across more than 18 hectares of vineyard on the Saalecker Schlossberg.
Food follows the same regional, farm-to-table character as the wine: Rhön organic farm bratwurst served in a Weckle roll or with potato salad, farmhouse cheese from nearby Untereschenbach, and vegan spread options round out all three days. There's no general admission fee — visitors pay only for what they eat and drink. On-site parking is limited to the castle grounds and an adjacent campground, so most visitors take the shuttle bus running from Hammelburg's Weihertorplatz to Schloss Saaleck and back on all three festival days, timed to each day's program start — roughly 17:00 Friday, 15:00 Saturday, 11:00 Sunday — and running until about 22:30.
Worth knowing before you go: Hammelburg and the Lange family are also behind several other, separately named wine events that are easy to mix up with this one — the market-square Winzerweinfest am Marktplatz, the FC Hammelburg club's own Marktplatzweinfest, and a larger Hammelburg wine festival reported to run in July. This one is the late-May weekend at the Schloss Saaleck Weinkeller, not those others. No specific founding year attaches to the festival itself — the vineyard's own history runs back to 1298 and the Lange family has run it as a certified-organic estate since buying it from the City of Hammelburg in 2011, but the Weinfest's own branded format is best understood simply as a fixture of that post-2011 organic era, not a dated tradition in its own right.
History
No founding year is fixed for Weinfest am Weingut itself — also listed as Weinfest im Weinberg by some aggregators, though it's the same annual event. The vineyard's own history runs much further back — first recorded in writing in 1298 as a Fulda-monastery holding, later a Bavarian-state domain and then the City of Hammelburg's own municipal winery from 1964, before the Lange family bought it in 2011 and converted it to certified-organic production by 2013 — but that institutional history belongs to the estate and the town, not to this specific festival. What's clear is that the Weinfest's current branded format sits within the Lange family's post-2011 organic era. It's also a separate event from the town's other 'Weinfest'-named gatherings: the market-square Winzerweinfest am Marktplatz, the FC Hammelburg club's own Marktplatzweinfest, and a larger July Hammelburg wine festival — this festival is only the late-May vineyard weekend at Schloss Saaleck, not any of those.
On Tap
- Local focus
- Weingut Lange's Weinfest am Weingut sets up beside the historic vineyard walls of Burg Schloss Saaleck.
- What to try
- Taste the estate's organic Franconian wines at the Keller right beside the castle.
- Best for
- Wine visitors who want a castle-backdrop tasting rather than a large festival crowd.
- Bavaria On Tap take
- This is a compact, single-estate wine weekend — the organic wines and the Schloss Saaleck setting are the whole draw.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Saaleck vineyard wine festival?
- Friday 29 May through Sunday 31 May 2026.
- Where is it held?
- At the Weinkeller / Weingut beside Burg Schloss Saaleck (Saaleckstraße 2, Hammelburg) — wine tasting amid historic vineyard walls with Saale-valley views.
- What makes it distinctive?
- It is hosted by Bioweingut Lange Schloss Saaleck in Hammelburg, often called Franconia’s oldest wine town — guests drink the estate’s organic wines on site.
- How do people usually arrive?
- A shuttle bus runs from Hammelburg's Weihertorplatz to the castle and back on all three days, timed to each day's program start — roughly 17:00 Friday, 15:00 Saturday, and 11:00 Sunday — through about 22:30. On-site parking is limited to the castle grounds and an adjacent campground, so the shuttle is the easier way in.
- Is this the same as Hammelburg's other wine festivals?
- No. The Lange family and the town of Hammelburg also run several separately named wine events — the Winzerweinfest am Marktplatz (co-hosted with a second winery, on different June dates at Hammelburg's market square), the FC Hammelburg football club's own Marktplatzweinfest, and a larger Hammelburg wine festival reported to run in July. This is the late-May weekend at the Weinkeller beside Burg Schloss Saaleck — a different date and a different venue from all of them.
- Free entry
- Reservation recommended
- Scenic setting