A new partnership between Uber, Frankfurt’s taxi network and leading Rheingau wineries is bringing digitally bookable wine tourism directly to travellers during the 2026 harvest.
Wine tourism continues to evolve beyond the traditional tasting-room experience, with transportation, technology and accessibility increasingly becoming part of destination planning. A new initiative in Germany’s Rheingau offers an interesting example of how these elements can work together.
Beginning in September 2026, Uber Germany will launch Uber Wine Taxi, a series of curated day trips connecting central Frankfurt directly with wineries in the Rheingau during the grape harvest.
Available through the Uber app, the experience combines round-trip transportation with reserved tastings at selected wineries, creating a simple way for visitors to experience one of Germany’s important wine regions without driving themselves.
From Frankfurt to the Vineyards
The Rheingau’s proximity to Frankfurt makes it particularly well suited to this type of wine-tourism experience.
The programme has been developed in partnership with three Rheingau producers: Weingut Familie Allendorf, Wein- und Sektgut Barth and Weingut Georg Breuer.
Trips begin at approximately 10:00 a.m., with guests collected from a location of their choice within Frankfurt. Transportation is provided in Mercedes-Benz taxi vans operated by TAXI FRANKFURT eG.
Depending on the itinerary, visitors first travel to Familie Allendorf for a wine tasting before continuing to Barth on Saturdays or Georg Breuer on Sundays for a second winery experience. Guests are then transported back to Frankfurt at approximately 3:00 p.m.
The format effectively packages several components that wine travellers would normally have to organize independently – transportation, winery appointments and tastings – into one digitally bookable experience.
Responding to Growing Demand
The initiative is also supported by growing demand for transportation between Frankfurt and the Rheingau.
According to Uber Germany, its app recorded approximately 17,000 uses in recent months from areas around Rüdesheim, Eltville, Oestrich-Winkel, Hattenheim and Johannisberg. This represents an increase of almost 30% compared with the previous year, while interest in journeys from Frankfurt to the wine region is reportedly growing at a similar rate.
The timing is also significant from a regional mobility perspective. The railway line along the right bank of the Rhine is undergoing modernization, with replacement bus services being used while work is completed. Uber positions Wine Taxi as a complementary transportation option during this period.
Wine Tourism Meets Digital Mobility
From a broader tourism perspective, the initiative illustrates an important development: access to a wine region is increasingly becoming part of the visitor experience itself.
For wine destinations close to major cities, transportation can influence whether visitors decide to make a day trip at all. Driving creates obvious limitations when wine tasting is involved, while navigating unfamiliar regional transportation can discourage independent travellers.
A digitally bookable service that combines transportation with confirmed winery experiences addresses several of those barriers simultaneously.
It also creates a direct connection between an international mobility platform, local transportation providers and wine estates – a model that could have relevance well beyond the Rheingau.
Christoph Weigler, Head of Uber Germany, said the company is already seeing booking requests between Frankfurt and the wine region and described the Wine Taxi as a way of making that proximity easy and digitally bookable while eliminating the need for visitors to drive themselves.
Four Harvest Weekends in September
Uber Wine Taxi will operate over four weekends in September 2026:
September 5–6, 12–13, 19–20 and 26–27.
Four vehicles will be available each day, with each accommodating between four and six guests.
The all-inclusive price is €200 per tour. Availability is limited, and advance booking is recommended.
Travellers in Frankfurt will see the Uber Wine Taxi promotion within the Uber app. After selecting the experience, users provide their preferred date, pickup location and number of guests. Availability is subsequently confirmed by email, followed by a payment link to complete the reservation.
A Potential Model for Other Wine Destinations
What makes Uber Wine Taxi noteworthy is not simply the transportation itself. It demonstrates how mobility, technology and wine tourism can be integrated into a single destination experience.
Many of the world’s wine regions sit within relatively easy reach of major urban centres, yet the final connection between city and vineyard can remain one of the practical obstacles facing visitors.
The Rheingau initiative offers one possible solution: bring together a digital booking platform, professional transportation and participating wineries to create an experience that begins before the visitor reaches the cellar door.
As wine tourism becomes increasingly experiential and digitally enabled, destinations will need to consider not only what visitors can experience when they arrive, but also how easily they can get there.
For the Rheingau, Uber Wine Taxi turns that journey into part of the wine-tourism proposition itself.
Source: Uber Germany
Full Details: https://www.uber.com/de/de/newsroom/uber-weintaxi/