In this week's Tipping's Tipples, Mike Tipping presents the first of three reports from a wine tour of southern Germany.

I'VE had more sekts in the past three days than I've ever had in my life. Sekts in the cellar, sekts on a roof, sekts on an oak table, group sekts and even sekts with royalty in a castle.

I should point out that sekt is a champagne-style German fizz and was offered to me at almost every stopping point in a three-day visit to Germany.

The visit took in the wine producing regions of Baden, Wurttemberg and Franken. Along with seven other wine writers from the British press, I was guest of the Deutsches Weininstitut, or German Wine Institute for those of you with a similar grasp of German to me.

The three states belong to what is loosely termed Germany's Southern Sunshine States. There is little wine export from these states. This is something the wine producers seem keen to change and they are targeting the ever-expanding UK wine market. Their problem, as well they know, lies in changing the British public's perception of German wine.

There was just too much of interest to fit in to one Tipping's Tipples and so I'm going to start with Baden. I will turn to the other states over the next two weeks.

The base for the two nights in Baden was Sasbachwalden, a chocolate-box village, surrounded by the Black Forest, with leanings to the Swiss style of architecture.

My first appointment was with Prince Bernhard of Baden, some 30 minutes' drive away at his home, Schloss Staufenberg, the castle heart of Markgraf von Baden wine. Wine growing, centred around his castle on the top of a very steep hill, has been going on for more than 1,000 years. I felt honoured to be tasting the latest Markgraf von Baden wines in the presence of German royalty.

The highlight, from the 14 wines I tasted, was the 2003 Oberkircher Grauburgunder Vinum Nobile. This dry, creamy pinot gris, with its intense pear drop flavour and underlying bubble gum notes, has benefited from last year's heat and sunshine. This has pushed its alcoholic content to more than 14 per cent; too much of this and you'll be blowing bubbles.

There was an excellent lunch provided on the terrace at the castle. We sat in the sun with HRH, enjoying a view of the Rhine and Alsace and munching on a starter of flammenkuchen, a delicious pizza-like local dish. The accompanying wine was a spatburgunder barrique, a pinot noir toasted in small oak barrels. This example showed lightness and great complexity.

In what seemed no distance at all - perhaps I fell asleep - our coach had taken us to Durbacher Winzergennossenschaft, a wine producing co-operative with an enthusiastic cellar manager who introduced the delights of cabernet dorsa. This crossing of cabernet sauvignon and dornfelder has made, in the 2002 Durbacher Koehberg Cabernet Dorsa, for a massive, prickly, black-peppered wine with ample dark fruit.

The rieslings were great too, but it was the mandarin and toasted oak flavours of the 2002 Durbacher Plauerain Chardonnay which stuck in my memory. And since I was given a bottle to take home, I may just jog my memory tonight.

There was no let up in the day as we headed for another tasting at the curiously named Hex vom Dasenstein wine cellar. Wearied by travel and wine, all I craved at this point was coffee.

Day one was rounded off with dinner in the hotel restaurant. Sampling three wines with each of the four courses provided great banter, as we debated which paired best with the food.

Next week in Tipping's Tipples the focus will be on Wurttemberg, which is best known in Germany for its red wines.

Mike travelled to Stansted Airport, for the flight to Germany, using GNER and Central trains.

Fact file:

Location: Baden is the most southerly of Germany's wine producing regions. It stretches for 240 miles along the River Rhine.

Main wine varieties: the whites; riesling, silvaner, gutedel, weissburgunder (pinot blanc), grauburgunder (pinot gris); the reds; spatburgunder (pinot noir) and schwarzriesling (pinot meunier).

Alarming wine fact: three or four farmers are said to die every year in the Baden region, when losing control of their tractors on the perilously steep vineyard slopes.

Quote of the day: "I hope you enjoy your wizzitt." Prince Bernhard of Baden.

Updated: 08:50 Saturday, May 15, 2004