Producers

Domaine Ciringa

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Armin Tement, his wife Monika and brother Stefan

Focus |

One grape - Sauvignon Blanc. One vineyard - Ciringa (Zieregg in German). Three expressions - purity.

Country |

Slovenia

Region |

Štajerska:

Climate |

Three competing weather patterns converge in Styria.

• Wet, warm air from the mediterranean in the south. Very high precipitation annually and all the disease pressure to go with it.
• Hot, dry air from across the Pannonian plane to the east. Helps with ripening, concentration and disease pressure.
• Cold breezes from the west and north flow down the alps, ensuring bright acidity and freshness in all the wines.

Vineyards |

20 ha

• Ciringa/Zieregg: Arguably the best Grand Cru site in Styria/Štajerska, no matter which side of the border you are on. In fact, the border runs directly down the middle of Zieregg cutting it in half. It has a huge variance in elevation from feet to 1,470 feet. The temperature drops every 300 feet or so, making ripening times different along its face. This is a south-facing slope and covered in coral limestone, similar to that of Sancerre, Chablis and Champagne, but about 200 million years younger. On top of that are layers of marl (like in Tuscany) and clay, giving different dimensions to the Sauvignon Blanc. Wines are about as perfect as they come, combining elegance, finesse, intensity, concentration, and length.

Grape Varieties |

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Far from its home in the Loire Valley, Sauvignon Blanc has found a foothold in the rolling limestone hills of Styria with a few vineyards in Burgenland and the Niederösterreich (Lower Austria). 
• Globally, consumers have divided this aromatic variety into two distinct styles: Sancerre and New Zealand. 
• But what if I told you, there is more this grape can do? The loud varietal characters are present but are balanced with a clear sense of place, not piercingly green, or passion fruit laden, but delicate and mineral driven.

Farming |

Biodynamic

• Certified by both Demeter and Respekt in 2022
• Farmed Organically since 2005

Cellar Work |

• Parcels are harvested separately in the early morning
• Everything vinified on its own
• 12-36 hour skin contact
• No sulfur during vinification
• Fermented with wild yeasts in barrel
• Can take as little as 7 days, up to 3 months
• Sometimes they stop with the winter and restart in the spring
• No temperature control, but the cellar is cold
• Malolactic fermentation happens in the the spring or summer
• First racking before the next harvest
• Barrels are made by a local cooper with local wood
• Seasoned 7-10 years before cooperage
• 700-4,000L sizes
• Entry level wine spends 1 full year on full lees in oak, then 1 year fine lees in stainless steel
• Breg Reserve are the three best casks allowed to age a 2nd year on the full lees, then another year in stainless steel.
• Pruh is a single parcel of pure limestone soil, single cask in the best years. The 2015 spent 66 months on lees.
• Deserto is 20% botrytis grapes, fermented in barrel, 60 g/l RS and 10TA - BA meets a Sauternes
• No fining, no filtering

About the winery |

Welcome to Tement’s other half.

Manfred Tement was the first of his kind, favoring Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon over Welschriesling. Before he started in 1986 this was an innocuous, bulk wine region, with most wine being consumed by the locals at the charming Heurigen and Budenshank (wine taverns) spread across the beautiful countryside. His commitment to quality took 5 years for anyone to notice, at which point a German wine magazine declared Tement to make the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc. 

That’s a lot of praise to live up to, but the family has not tired from always raising the bar and keeping their much deserved attention. Manfred’s sons Armin and Stefan have taken on the task with gusto. Farming has been a huge priority, not only hand harvesting, but conversion to organics and now biodynamics. Ask any farmer in the Finger Lakes, Bordeaux or Galicia, all very wet regions, about the difficulties or organic farming and most will tell you it's just impossible. Especially on 80 hectares in a remote region rife with super steep slopes. They persevere.

In the winery they’ve pulled everything back from their father’s day. Ripeness levels, skin maceration, new oak, temperature control, filtering and sulfur. Today these are as pure an expression of place over winemaking as one can get. 

Why aren’t they more famous here? My theory is two fold. Austrian wines in general do not get the attention they deserve. This may be a hold over from the 1984 wine scandal (happened in a totally different region), or assumptions of over ripe-styles based on now outdated Parker years, or just a general aversion to German words and bottles. 

The second half is Styrian wine is expensive and they need champions. These are difficult, remote terrains to work and the thirsty locals could consume everything, if we let them, meaning it's often more economical to sell domestically. 

When Armin came on board they purchased the other half of Zieregg, also called Ciringa in Slovenian and decided to keep the Slovenian wines under their own name. Nearly everything is the same, except Armin makes these wines to his own vision and is not beholden to the legacy of his father. These are some of the very best Sauvignon Blanc’s for the money, from anywhere in the world.

What do the wines taste like?

Sauvignon Blancs unlike any we have tasted; they are deep, resonant wines that somehow defy gravity.

Bründlmayer

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Willi Bründlmayer & Andreas Wickhoff MW as General Manager

Focus |

Country |

Austria

Region |

Kamptal

Village |

Langelois

Climate |

Cool Continental

• Defined as very cold winters, hot, short, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• Now: winters are usually not as cold, summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem 4 or the last 5 years, autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• Kamptal is cooled by air coming down from the north, especially the valley’s and surrounding forest. But warmth comes in the form of hot eastern gusts, helping to ripen the grapes and keep disease at bay.
• There is a big diurnal shift (difference between day and night temperatures) starting in the fall. This extends the growing season and gives Austrian wines their signature balance of freshness and ripeness, opulence and grace.
• Cool climate wines are high in acid, low in alcohol, light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors rather than fruit.
• Usually white wines are made, but some light reds, like Pinot Noir can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines.

Vineyards |

90 ha. Many vineyards  over 50 years old and a plot on the Heiligenstein that was planted in the 1920’s.

• Heiligenstein: Most famous site in Kamptal and one of the great vineyards of Austria. This terraced hill is an outcropping of 270 million year old unique formation of red sandstone and conglomerate with volcanic permian rocks. Superb Riesling is to be found here. Some plots are up to 60 years old.

• Steinmassl: Gneiss and mica slate

• Veltliner finds ideal conditions on these deep, south-facing loess-loam terraces, to produce a particularly complex and expressive wine.

• Langenloiser Berg-Vogelsang: A variety of mica schist called “Gföhler Gneiss” some of the amphibolite stones in the vineyards even contain garnets.

• Käferberg: The soils are variable, with different underlying bedrock: within a small area one can find crystalline rocks such as amphibolite, gneiss, and mica schist, alternating with much younger clay marl, sands, and rare gravels that were deposited in the ancient Paratethys Sea 16 million years ago.
• Lamm: Kammerman Village. Southeast of the Heiligenstein vineyard is the Ried Lamm. The deep loess-loam formation is interspersed with volcanic rock with a distinctive silt component. Grüner Veltliner finds ideal conditions on these deep, south-facing loess-loam terraces, to produce a particularly complex and expressive wine.

Grape Varieties |

• Grüner Veltliner: 
• A true Austrian treasure. Grüner is rarely planted outside of its home country, but is revered the world over. 
• Mainly grown in the Lower Austrian region (Niederösterreich) with some vines in northernmost Burgenland, it holds 30% of the country’s vineyard area. 
• Grüner is dynamic making it known for easily quaffable fresh and fruity wines. But, it just as easily becomes Austria’s most famous long-lived, mineral-laden beauties and some delicious sekt (wine made with bubbles). 
• Wines from Grüner Veltliner have continuously taken top marks in blind tastings against Chardonnay from Burgundy and California, displaying a richness and concentration sans the oak barrels its competitors rely on. 
• Its flavors range from stone fruit, fresh pear, lemon, green herbs, arugula, and spicy white or black pepper. The best versions can age for decades and develop complex notes of honey, toast, chutney and wax.

• Riesling
• The King of White Grapes
• You’ll find it on the peaks of high, rocky, steep vineyards in the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal.
• What they lack in vineyard area, these wines make up for in pure, clear, undeniable quality. 
• The best examples show the beauty that can come from a perfect marriage: these wines bring the acidity of the Mosel, matched with the density of Alsacian Grand Crus, but are always dry and ready to age for decades. 
• They often benefit from 5-10 years of bottle age, but your patience is greatly rewarded with a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures. 
• Fruits span the rainbow depending on the site, style and vintage, from green melon, lime and herbs, yellow peaches and lemons, orange zest and marmalade, pink grapefruit, even a touch of cherry on occasion. But the real beauty lies in the non-fruit notes. Especially with age, you can get stony minerality, petrol, honey, toast, salt, marzipan and so much more.
• Pinot Noir
• Brought by the same Cistearcian monks with the rest of the Burgundy varieties
• Burgenland and Thermenregion. 
• There are beautiful examples especially on limestone soils with careful winemaking

• Chardonnay 
• Another grape brought over by the Cistercian monks so it’s had a long time to make a home for itself. 
• Grown across the country, it is made in styles that range from light, unoaked, and Chablisienne to big, broad and toasty. 
• There are some beautiful examples, Burgenland, Vienna, Lower Austria and especially the Steiermark.
• 17% other varieties

Farming |

Organic

• No chemical fertilizers or herbicides for 40 years
• Organic since 2015
• certified organic by LACON, an outside, objective, certifying body
• 17 ha are trained in the Lyre method, which Willi helped create.

Cellar Work |

Modern - Low Intervention

• All hand harvested
• Multiple selections through the vineyard are made
• Botrytis is never accepted
• Majority of grapes are not de-stemmed or crushed
• Grapes are handled as minimally as possible
• A tiny portion of grapes are held back, de-stemmed, and macerated for 12 hours; used as ‘seasoning’ during blending to add another dimension and tonality to the final wines.
• Very gentle 1 bar pressing
• Fermented in stainless steel or wood
• Temperature control, but cool, not cold
• Wines age on lees 3-18 months depending on wine
• Sparkling wines can age for years in the cellar
• Hand riddling
• Cellar is gravity fed, to avoid pumping
• Photovoltaics on the roof for electricity
• Geothermal pipes below for heating

About the winery |

Brundlmayer is among the greatest estates in Austria and arguably among the very greatest white-wine producers in the entire world. Quality has gradually increased even further under the watchful eye of Andreas Wickhoff, MW, who took the helm from Willi Bründlmayer in 2014. 

The entry level wines are the purest examples of straight-up Kamptal Riesling and Grüner you could hope for. But the fancier bottlings are truly next level, transmitting the multi-faced soil, aspect, elevation and micro climates throughout the Kamptal. The estate is always pushing the boundaries of what one could expect from their vines and with great effect.

What do the wines taste like?

A huge variety of wines and styles to choose from. Light and bright Grüner, Riesling and rosé. Mid-tier lunch wines, a little more serious, a little more structured. The single vineyards are deep, elegant, focused and ageworthy. The reds are old-world, earthy, with supple tannins. 

Sparkling wines are the Champagne method and share all their best qualities: creamy, elegant, brioche, lees, freshness and liveliness.

The magic of this estate is how incredibly good the wines are and consistent, considering just how large a production they have. Team members here work together under great leadership. There is something for everyone

Bernhard Ott

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Bernhard Ott

Focus |

The absolute greatest Grüner Veltliner. Wines that transcend variety and highlight with dazzling complexity the outstanding quality of the Wagram.

Country |

Austria

Region |

Wagram

Village |

Feuersbrunn

Climate |

Cool Continental

• Defined as very cold winters, hot, short, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• Now: winters are usually not as cold, summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem 4 or the last 5 years, autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• Wagram is exposed to the cold northern gusts and hot eastern gusts depending on the time of year
• There is a big diurnal shift (difference between day and night temperatures) starting in the fall. This extends the growing season and gives Austrian wines their signature balance of freshness and ripeness, opulence and grace.
• Cool climate wines are high in acid, low in alcohol, light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors rather than fruit.
• Usually white wines are made, but some light reds, like Pinot Noir can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines.

Vineyards |

• Feuersbrunner Rosenberg: The oldest vines here were planted in 1954, soil is very deep loess which is a very light windblown sand from the last ice age and contains a high lime content. 
• Feuersbrunner Spiegel: The soils here are a mix of deep, chalky loess and red gravel – a sort of mix of the two soil types from Rosenberg and Stein.
• Engabrunner Stein: Kamptal. Gföhler gneiss at the bottom, red sands, white sands, a layer of chalk and a little loess on top.

Grape Varieties |

• Grüner Veltliner: 
• A true Austrian treasure. Grüner is rarely planted outside of its home country, but is revered the world over. 
• Mainly grown in the Lower Austrian region (Niederösterreich) with some vines in northernmost Burgenland, it holds 30% of the country’s vineyard area. 
• Grüner is dynamic making it known for easily quaffable fresh and fruity wines. But, it just as easily becomes Austria’s most famous long-lived, mineral-laden beauties and some delicious sekt (wine made with bubbles). 
• Wines from Grüner Veltliner have continuously taken top marks in blind tastings against Chardonnay from Burgundy and California, displaying a richness and concentration sans the oak barrels its competitors rely on. 
• Its flavors range from stone fruit, fresh pear, lemon, green herbs, arugula, and spicy white or black pepper. The best versions can age for decades and develop complex notes of honey, toast, chutney and wax.

Farming |

Biodynamic

• One of the leaders of Biodynamic farming in Austria
• Formed the producer certification groupe Respekt Biodyn
• Dry farmed
• Shallow plowing
• All hand harvested
• Made the switch after a visit to DRC with Aubert de Villaine and his best friend Hans Reisetbauer
• Makes his own compost - his prized possession.
• Compost helps with water retention and grapes ripen without excessive sugar.

Cellar Work |

Traditional - Low intervention

• Strict selection in the vineyard
• Grapes are crushed in the press and macerated, length depends on style of the vintage
• Whole cluster pressing
• Usually pneumatic, but in 2022 everything was hand pressed in an old basket press
• Browning out of the must
• All native yeasts
• Fermented in stainless steel or large Stockinger barrels
• Starting in 2018 everything is aged in large Stocking barrels
• No temperature control
• Very minimal sulfur additions at harvest and bottling
• Malolactic fermentation is inhibited by the cold cellar
• Single vineyard wines on full lees until the following summer.

About the winery |

When the 21-year-old Bernhard took over from his father in the early 90s, he did so with the rebellious confidence reserved for the young. He tossed out his fathers old wooden casks and invested in shiny stainless steel tanks. The wines of the Wachau, a few miles upriver, were garnering the world’s attention for their power and longevity.

But no one was crafting world-renowned wine in his home base of the Wagram; in fact, it wasn’t even called the Wagram by anyone but the farmers who lived there. These south-facing slopes on the north bank of the Danube were lumped in with the sprawling, undistinguished Donbas region, and the wine was largely drunk by crowds of Viennese driving up to picnic in the vineyards. 

 

It wasn’t until 2007, thanks in part to Bernhard's efforts, that the Wagram was delineated, named, and recognized as a place of quality. He knew his vineyards, especially the Rosenberg, with its 30 meter deep loess (a fine calcareous windblown sand) were prime real estate for the type of Grüner he wanted to make. 

 

For this, he was going to need more than fancy tanks. You can only make perfect wine from perfect grapes, and the conventional wisdom of conventional farming wasn't going to cut it. It was a trip to DRC in 2007 — hosted by Aubert de Villaine — where Bernhard was introduced to biodynamic farming. If it was good enough for Aubert, it was good enough for Bernhard.

 

His vines have responded to their change in care. The grapes ripen fully, both with sugar and physiologically. They are healthier, adapting to the changing climate with ease. They differ in the cellar, demanding a malleable mind to respond accordingly. In 2018, realizing his father may have been right after all, he brought back large wooden casks. This was the correct change — the wines are perfect.

What do the wines taste like?

Stunningly pure wines, like the great Burgundies of the world, these have a perfect expression of site. But unlike those wines they rely less on the direct influence of oak flavors and more on perfectly farmed fruit, which is really more like perfectly farmed minerals in grape form.

Alzinger

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

 

 

People |

Leo & Katarina Alzinger

Focus |

Riesling & Grüner Veltliner in the Wachau that express the essence of their ancient steep, terraced vineyards. These are wines with very little in the way of fruit flavors and instead showcase purity, clarity and minerality. 

Country |

Austria 

Region |

Wachau

Village |

Durnstein

Climate |

Cool Continental

• Defined as very cold winters, hot, short, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• Now: winters are usually not as cold, summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem 4 or the last 5 years, autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• Wachau is cooled by air coming down from the forest and along the Danube valley from the west. But warmth comes in from hot eastern gusts, which start to lose their power as they head down the valley. 
• The Danube also acts as an HVAC, keeping temperatures along its bank more steady than elsewhere, with reflection from the river helping ripen fruit more.
• There is a big diurnal shift (difference between day and night temperatures) starting in the fall. This extends the growing season and gives Austrian wines their signature balance of freshness and ripeness, opulence and grace.
• Cool climate wines are high in acid, low in alcohol, light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors rather than fruit.
• Usually white wines are made, but some light reds, like Pinot Noir can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines.

Vineyards |

11.5 ha of mostly old vines on choice parcels

• Loibenberg: South facing and one of the warmest sites in the Wachau, deep loess on the lower terraces, and stony, shallow, baron soils on the top terraces.
• Steinertal: Very stony, shallow Gneiss soils, with some loess on the lower terraces. Cooler microclimate, very high acid, almost austere wines.
• Liebenberg: Amphibolite and mica-schist

Grape Varieties |

• Grüner Veltliner: 
• A true Austrian treasure. Grüner is rarely planted outside of its home country, but is revered the world over. 
• Mainly grown in the Lower Austrian region (Niederösterreich) with some vines in northernmost Burgenland, it holds 30% of the country’s vineyard area. 
• Grüner is dynamic making it known for easily quaffable fresh and fruity wines. But, it just as easily becomes Austria’s most famous long-lived, mineral-laden beauties and some delicious sekt (wine made with bubbles). 
• Wines from Grüner Veltliner have continuously taken top marks in blind tastings against Chardonnay from Burgundy and California, displaying a richness and concentration sans the oak barrels its competitors rely on. 
• Its flavors range from stone fruit, fresh pear, lemon, green herbs, arugula, and spicy white or black pepper. The best versions can age for decades and develop complex notes of honey, toast, chutney and wax.

• Riesling
• The King of White Grapes
• You’ll find it on the peaks of high, rocky, steep vineyards in the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal.
• What they lack in vineyard area, these wines make up for in pure, clear, undeniable quality. 
• The best examples show the beauty that can come from a perfect marriage: these wines bring the acidity of the Mosel, matched with the density of Alsacian Grand Crus, but are always dry and ready to age for decades. 
• They often benefit from 5-10 years of bottle age, but your patience is greatly rewarded with a kaleidoscope of flavors and textures. 
• Fruits span the rainbow depending on the site, style and vintage, from green melon, lime and herbs, yellow peaches and lemons, orange zest and marmalade, pink grapefruit, even a touch of cherry on occasion. But the real beauty lies in the non-fruit notes. Especially with age, you can get stony minerality, petrol, honey, toast, salt, marzipan and so much more.

Farming |

Conventional

• 1,200 hours’ work for every hectare
• Green space between vines for biodiversity

Cellar Work |

Traditional

• Later harvest, although low sugar ripeness
• Crush whole clusters
• Short maceration before pressing
• 24 hour sedimentation
• Age on lees till the following spring
• Mature in large, old wooden casks

About the winery |

Leo Alzinger is not just one of the great Wachau producers, he's one of the world's best producers of white wines. Vintage after vintage, Alzinger’s wines have the magical zip that gives his wines a sense of life — and remind us why the Wachau really is Austria's best region.

 

Alzinger's style is one of perfect balance. His methods preserve the cut of natural acidity and keep alcohol in check. Some winemakers achieve this by picking fruit early, before the increased sugar levels overpower its ratio, a technique that forces a grower to choose between the fully developed flavors that come with longer hang times, and the loss of freshness overripe fruit can bring.

But Alzinger has found another way. He doesn’t harvest early; in fact, he often harvests later than his neighbors. It's partly his terroir – much of it is on steep terraced vineyards, at high elevation and with strong air currents, and sites that don't necessarily get full sun, all day long. It's partly his old vines, which naturally control vigor and the accumulation of too much sugar too quickly. And it's partly his experience farming these precious vines in these storied sites since childhood.

Or maybe it’s his winemaking. With his perfectly ripe fruit he isn’t afraid of a little skin contact. He crushes whole bunches of fruit and allows for a short maceration which picks up extra flavor and structural elements from the skins. Post fermentation he employs big, neutral Stockinger barrels offering a peaceful place to rest and harmonize for an exquisite mouthfeel.

What do the wines taste like?

Air.

Transparent, sanguine, calm.

von Winning

 

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Stephan Attmann - General Manager, Andreas Hütwohl - Deputy General Manager, Export Manager, Kurt Rathgeber - Head Winemaker

 

Focus |

Rieslings made through a historical lens, in wood, with long aging on the lees, from the greatest collection of Pfalz vineyards. The range is expansive from everyday quaffers, to wines you can forget in your cellar for decades.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Pfalz

 

Village |

Deidesheim

Climate |

Cool to Moderate Continental 

• Cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is the warmest region in Germany with more Mediterranean-like temperatures. You can even find fig and olive trees growing among the vines.
• Winters are usually not as cold as they were historically. Summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem, and autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• Moderate climate wines are relatively high in acid, with lower than average alcohols, medium to light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors along with ripe fruit notes. 
• White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

40 ha across most of the major villages of the Pfalz -- Haart, Konigsbach, Ruppertsberg, Deidesheim, and Forst.

• Bürgergarten: Haardt, Erste Lage. At the southern end of the Pfalz on a low south-east slope up to the forest line. Sandy loam over sandstone with lots of clay. The lighter, more floral and delicate side of the warmer Haardt.
• Herrenletten: Haardt, Erste Lage. Southern end of Haardt, just north of Bürgergarten. South, south-east exposition with sandy loam over red sandstone, with lots of clay and a high limestone content. An intensely aromatic and flavorful wine. There is plenty of water from natural springs under the vineyard ensuring healthy grapes and boisterous wines in even the driest vintages. 
• Haardter Herzog: Haardt, Erste Lage. The southernmost site for von Winning. Steep (for the Pfalz) and southeast facing with sparse top soil of gravel, sandy loam over sandstone. Wines tend to be very complex from white and green fruit to ripe yellow and orange, lots of acidity and elegance and demands a long decant.
• Idig: Königsbach/Neustadt, Erste Gewächs. North of Haardt and one of the newest acquisitions for von Winning and a top site facing due south up to the edge of the forest for a cooling influence. Lots of limestone and clay with sandstone subsoil. Very mineral, high intensity wines, with intense, exotic aromatics, salty, spicy, nutty palate. Christmann’s top wine is from here. V
• Ölberg: Königsbach/Neusadt, Erste Lage. The southernmost site in Konigsbach, between it and Ruppertsberg. East, southeast facing and very hot with lots of limestone, marl and sandstone. Big wines, opulent, complex, spicy.
• Nussbien: Ruppertsberg, Erste Lage. Right below the Reiterpfad with a southeast-east facing slope up that goes right up to the cooling influence of the forest. Loamy sand over red sandstone. Often lighter, salty, green, long, spicy and fresh.
• Reiterpfad: Ruppertsberg, Erste Lage. A very large 86 ha low slope with a southeast exposition. A very warm site due to a sandstone wall surrounding the vineyard. Diverse soils with sand and sandy loam over red sandstone, limestone and loess throughout. Wines tend to be very dense and long lived for an Erste Lage site.
• An Den Achtmorgen: Ruppertsberg Erste Gewächs. Inside the Reiterpfad, this 1 ha site is mostly south facing with high density planting of 6,000 vines/ha and sandstone over limestone. It's a warm site for lots of concentration with excellent structure thanks to the limestone.
• Paradiesgarten: Deidesheim, Erste Lage. Sloping site west of the village, right up against the cooling influences of the forest with an east, south-east exposition. Named in the 50’s by the then owner of von Winning (Weingut Dr. Deinhard) for its perfect location. Soil is very deep loam, sand and loess over sandstone. One of my favorite 1er Crus every year for its lithe, tensile structure and delicate minerality. Always salty and happy.
• Langenmorgen: Deidesheim, Erste Gewächs. A semicircle of a vineyard surrounded by the Paradiesgarten, next to the cooling forest, with a southeastern slope. The site was first mentioned in 1491 and the name refers to the amount of land a man can work with a horse in a day. Top soil is loam with high limestone content over deep loess, red and white sandstone. A lighter, brighter GG.
• Leinhöhle: Deidesheim, Erste Lage. Long felt to be the best GL in the village because of its southern exposition, which meant it was warm enough to ripen grapes nearly every year. Even now with the warmer temperatures it's still favorable, with structure helped along by the plentiful limestone in the soil, along with sandstone. Often juicy and dense with stone fruit and herbs.
• Kieselberg. Deidesheim Erste Gewächs. A plateau right above the village with full sun exposure, with a mix of gravelly, sandy, clay and loam soils with sandstone and weathered limestone. Mentioned first in 1234, the wines are always fully ripe, but tense, with concentration and complexity.
• Grainhübel: Deidesheim, Erste Lage. A strip of a vineyard right behind the von Winning winery, facing south-southeast, with lots of humus topsoil and clay and loam with limestone subsoil. Opulent and juicy wines.
• Kalkofen: Deidesheim, Erste Gewächs. Once a lime kiln and source of limestone bricks, now a warm south facing site with plenty of limestone and marl soils. Wines are super mineral with a Burgundian structure. This is one of my favorite sites in the Pfalz. VW vines are 65 years old and the level of intensity is really turned up a notch.
• Mäushöhle: Deidesheim, Erste Lage. Northwest of the village, and cooled by the forest to the west. One side has lots of loam and sand and the other loess and sand with weathered limestone and sandstone beneath. A source of brighter, lighter wines, notes of green apple and herbs.
• Herrgottsacker: Deidesheim, Erste Lage. A huge vineyard between the village of Deidesheim and Forst, with the forest to the west and Ungehueuer to the east. The most north-facing vineyard in the Pfalz. Once owned by the church this site has a mix of basalt and sandstone under loamy sand. It imbues a perfect mix of the elegance of Deidesheim and the juicy citrus of Forst.
• Ungeheuer: Forst, Erste Gewächs. A basalt laden vineyard, but with complex soil structure including limestone, rubble, sandstone and with dense clay meaning access to water for more nutrition and excellent mineral underpinning to the wines. The south-east slope gives ample sun and being at the foot of the Haardt Mountains, gives cooler airflow and brighter acidity. 

• Kirchenstück: Forst, Erste Gewächs. “The Montrachet of the Pfalz”, surrounded by the other GC vineyards. The only site rated with the top score of 65 by the Bavarian vineyard classification of 1828. This is a southeast slope with basalt rock, limestone scree, red sandstone, dense clay and sand giving it minerality and access to enough water even in the hottest of years. A vineyard known for complexity, elegance, brilliance, unmatched power and expression like nowhere else. Wines need decades in the cellar to unfurl.

• Jesuitengarten: Forst, Erste Gewächs. The second best vineyard after Kirchenstück. Eastern facing slope with Basalt and limestone mixed, the best of both worlds!

• Pechstein: Forst, Erste Gewächs. Southeast facing slope with high proportions of black basalt for a flinty intense minerality mixed with limestone from an ancient coral reef for structure and sandstone for good measure.

Grape Varieties |

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

Sauvignon Blanc:

• High acid
• Semi aromatic
• Light to medium in body depending on location and oak application
• Originally from France
• Does extremely well in the Pfalz climate on limestone soils.
• Varies in style from Sancerre knock-off or Pavillon Blanc stand-in.

Farming |

Organic / Biodynamic

• Many old vine plots
• Lots of high density planting

Cellar Work |

Old traditional

• Spontaneous fermentation
• Turbid must during fermentation, for lots of phenolics, helps with longevity
• No temperature control
• Aged in 500L and up wooden barrels, mix of new and used
• Some stainless steel for the village, Erste Lage and sweet wines, but usually a mix of vessels
• Erste Lage age a minimum of 1 year on the lees
• GGs for at least 1.5 years
• Top “special bottled” wines at least 2-3 years.
• Only wracked off the full lees before bottling for very reductive wines.
• Very minimal intervention, some sulfur at bottling

About the winery |

The estate of von Winning is old — about 160 years old. And the name von Winning is oldish — Leopold von Winning was a leader in Pfalz’s quality wine movement of the early 1900s. But the estate has only been named for von Winning since 2007, when Achim Niderberger purchased the property (then known as Dr. Deinhard) and hired Stephan Attman to run the show.

A revolution at Deidesheim ensued. Attman transformed farming, adopting organics and many biodynamic techniques. In the winery, out went the shiny steel tanks and in came old-fashioned wooden casks (fuder). Winemaking became intensely pre-modern and minimalist. After a few years of tinkering, von Winning began to produce truly brilliant wines.

Von Winning is now, simply put, an estate that all wine lovers must get to know. 

What do the wines taste like?

A huge range is available, really a something-for-everyone type of winery. From the best deal in super dry sekt, to a slurpable off-dry summer Riesling, to a vast exploration of terroir from every major vineyard in the Pfalz.

The intention at the estate is to make wine as it was 100 years ago, with the use of oak, so expect some toasty notes in the GG’s, if you open them young. But even with a bit of spice they are some of the most elegant, intense wines, opulent but always balanced.

The Erte Lage set offers some of the best values in the region, showcasing the wildly diverse possibilities of terroir without the heavy price tag. But whether EL or GG you can really taste the differences: Closer to the forest? It's gonna be lighter and fresher wine. On a plateau; hot and dense. Sandstone soil; get ready for yellow and red peaches with a lot of sunny characteristics. Limestone; Here comes the salt and structure. Let us not forget Basalt; an inimitable flinty character for some of the most delicious and intense Rieslings out there.

And lest we forget to mention them. The Sauvignon Blanc, while not native, have found a worthy home.

Spreitzer

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Brothers Andreas and Bernd Spreitzer  

Focus |

Textbook Rheingau wines, deep, and layered but also joyful and delicious.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Rheingau

Sub Region/Village |

Oestrich-Winkel

Climate |

Moderate Continental 

• Relatively cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is a special climate for wine in Germany because of four main factors: Aspect, Elevation, and exposure and the River.
• Historically this was the greatest region for white wine in the world. It is warmer than the Mosel, so vintages were more consistent but Its northerly latitude still put it in the cool continental climate zone. This meant perfectly balanced wines with high acid, but ripe intense fruit concentration and the ability to age for… well…ever. 
• A bend in the Rhein river means almost the entire Rheingau hillside faces due south, picking up the maximum amount of sunlight and heat available. 
• Its moderate to steep slope also helped push ripeness higher, and being along a very wide river, meant reflection of the sun onto the vines for a boost from below.
• Today, what was once a boon, has helped in its waning reputation. Many winemakers continued to push for ripeness in the warming age of climate change, meaning that wines were over ripe, high in alcohol, with low acidities, were generally unbalanced, and not as ageworthy.
• Top producers, like Georg Breuer, have always sought balance above all else, and are one of a handful of estates making brisk, intense wines, which reflect place, but are not over-wrought or flabby.
• White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

30 ha in the heart of the Rheingau

• Oestricher Lenchen: Grand Cru, deep löss, veins of sand and marl
• Winkeler Jesuitengarten: Grand Cru, calcerous löss, loam, clay, sand, gravel
• Oestrich Rosengarten: Grand Cru, calcerous loam and shell limestone
• Hallgartener Hendelberg: 1er Cru, multi-colored slate and quartzite

Grape Varieties |

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

Farming |

Sustainable

• Alternate cover crops of herbs, greens, and lentils in the summer with grains in the winter

Cellar Work |

Traditional

• Whole cluster, gentle pressing
• Overnight sedimentation
• Long fermenations in temperature controlled stainless steel and old 1,200 L Stück
• Rests on gross lees
• Only filtered once before bottling

About the winery |

Brothers Andreas and Bernd Spreitzer have embraced their wealth of resources to produce Rheingau Rieslings of incredible balance, a feat they liken to walking a tightrope. 

With a generational total of 379 years making wine, the Spreitzers have had plenty of practice. Even with all that experience, great balance requires great vineyards. The Spreitzers own prime real estate throughout their sub-region of Oestrich, including the Lenchen vineyard and its most famous parcel, Eisenberg. The secret weapon of Lenchen is its series of underground streams, guaranteeing balance even in the hottest years, an asset in this age of climate change. 

With these great terroirs and that generations-long attention to balance, the Spritezer’s achieve some of the most delectable wines in the entire Rheingau, at once beautifully delicate and opulently concentrated.

What do the wines taste like?

Fruity and rich, with a playful, unpolished feel, yet clean and sound. These are wines you want to drink, not fuss over. Excellent with food and capable of long aging in the cellar.

Schlossgut Diel

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Caroline Diel and husband Sylvain Taurisson-Diel

Focus |

Rieslings with a heavy French influence in winemaking, yet they explore their terroir in the very German method of every ripeness levels from all top sites. Also, some outstanding sparkling wine.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Nahe 

Village |

Burg Layen

Climate |

Cool Continental

• Defined as very cold winters, hot, short, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• Until climate change this was the very northern edge of where grapes could ripen fully, but only about 7 out of 10 years.
• Now: winters are usually not as cold, summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem 4 or the last 5 years, and autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• The unpredictability of the weather is what makes wines especially vintage sensitive and creates havoc (and high costs!) for winemakers.
• Nahe is a little warmer on average than the Mosel and cooler than most of the other wine regions in Germany. There are some very warm vineyard sites, giving an almost mediterranean feel, but also with a few cooler, almost Saar-like areas as well. 
• Cool climate wines are high in acid, low in alcohol, light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors rather than fruit.
• Usually white wines are made, but some light reds, like Pinot Noir can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

25 hectares from Erste Gewächs and Erste Lage vineyards.

• Dorsheimer Goldloch: A Grand Cru site, stony soils with a layer of loam and gravel, very steep (45-55%) with terraces. Their prized vineyard.

• Dorsheimer Pittermännchen: A Grand Cru site, heavily weathered Devonian grey slate, on top of Rotliegend conglomerate with gravel, and quartzite. The smallest slope of the estate. Very fine, mineral Riesling.

• Dorsheimer Burgberg: A Grand Cru site, loamy, iron-rich soils with a high proportion of quartzite. These need extra time in the cellar but reward with outstand complexity.

Grape Varieties |

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Pinot Blanc / Weissburgunder

• A white skinned mutation of Pinot Noir
• The secret weapon of the Teutonics. They make the best versions of this grape, and they don’t share them.
• Germany is now the world’s leading producer of Pinot Blanc
• pale to straw yellow in color, and delicate on the nose. A slightly nutlike aroma is typical. Vinified dry, its medium to full body and fine acidity complement many types of food.
• Good examples age very well, although generally made with the aim of everyday fresh and dry wines in mind. Even these seemingly innocuous wines have the ability to age over decades..

Pinot Gris / Grauburgunder

• A pink-skinned genetic mutation of Pinot Noir.
• Likely introduced from across the border in nearby Alsace by Cistercian monks. 
• Takes on many styles in Germany. 
• The country is the world’s third-largest producer of the grape.
• Typically dry and can range from light and fresh to rich and oak-aged. 
• Most of the time, these wines are more concentrated and flavorful than Pinot Grigio of Italy, with notes of apple, pear, and nuts.
• Because of its pink skins, Pinot Gris also makes delicious orange wines. 

Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

Farming |

Sustainable

• Practicing organic in most vineyards
• Hand harvesting
• Every site is picked multiple times throughout the harvest season

Cellar Work |

Traditional Mosel with some French Influence

• No recipes, Caroline follows her gut with every vintage and every wine.
• Fruit is whole cluster preseed or destemmed by hand if the vintage requires it
• Short maceration
• Gentle pressing
• Overnight sedimentation
• Spontaneous fermentation
• Vessels vary from stuckfass, doppelstuck, cement tanks and small barrels for red wines.
• Long aging: Whites for a minimum of 10 months before bottling.
• Reds are 75% hand destemmed with 25% whole cluster
• 18 months in barrel
• Bottled unfiltered.
• Sparkling is Champagne method with 5- 15 years in the bottle
• Hand riddling 

About the winery |

Caroline, the 7th generation to run the estate, has always pushed against the grain. In highschool she decided she wanted to be anywhere but the Nahe and jumped ship for a boarding school in Pebble Beach California.

She eventually returned and after graduating from Geisenheim interned around the world in California, Burgundy, Champagne, South Africa, Burgenland, New Zealand and elsewhere in France.  Estates included Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Pichon Lalande, Dr Deinhard, Ruinart, and Rebholz. And because her devotion to learning and Champagne knows no bounds she even got another internship with Hure Freres in 2020.

She’s a bit of a renegade, but is devoted to both her family and her inherited family legacy. She pulls out the stops to attain quality and pushes the other estates in the VDP to do the same. These wines were some of the biggest surprises on this last German trip and deserve your attention.

What do the wines taste like?

Her methods and wines feel very French in their on minerality over fruit. But she also embraces Rieslings ability to make great wine in every style fromfocus bone dry to superbly sweet and everything in between.

Do NOT miss out on her Sparkling wines. These are the best non-Champagne sparklers from anywhere, in fact, I’d say they are better than many Champagne available on the market.

Theo Minges

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Theo Minges, his wife Martina and their daughter Regine Minges

Focus |

A range of Prädikat and dry single vineyard wines from some of the best vineyards you’ve never heard of in the Pfalz. Mineral and fruity, balanced and ageworthy. Lot’s of energy.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Pfalz

Village |

Flemlingen

Climate |

Cool to Moderate Continental 

• Cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is the warmest region in Germany with more Mediterranean-like temperatures. You can even find fig and olive trees growing among the vines.
• Winters are usually not as cold as they were historically. Summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem, and autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• Moderate climate wines are relatively high in acid, with lower than average alcohols, medium to light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors along with ripe fruit notes. 
• White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

25 hectares in their home village of Flemlingen

• Gleisweiler Hölle: Red sandstone, limestone. a hollow site undulated with streams, brooks, and vegetation more similar to that of Northern Italy than the flat-ish Pfalz.
• Burrweiler Schloßgarten: Loam, limestone
• Weyhrer Michelsberg: Slate
• Flemlinger Vogelsprung: Loam
• Schäwer
• Unterer Faulenberg

Grape Varieties |

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

Chardonnay

• Moderately high acid
• Neutral in aromatics
• Responds well to winemaking, no matter the method
• Originally from Burgundy, France
• Does well on the limestone soils

Pinot Blanc / Weissburgunder

• A white skinned mutation of Pinot Noir
• The secret weapon of the Teutonics. They make the best versions of this grape, and they don’t share them.
• Germany is now the world’s leading producer of Pinot Blanc
• pale to straw yellow in color, and delicate on the nose. A slightly nutlike aroma is typical. Vinified dry, its medium to full body and fine acidity complement many types of food.
• Good examples age very well, although generally made with the aim of everyday fresh and dry wines in mind. Even these seemingly innocuous wines have the ability to age over decades..

• Scheurebe
• A crossing of Riesling and Bukettrebe (until 2012 thought to be Silvaner)
• Scheurebe was created by Georg Scheu in 1916. 
• Though it was first bred in the Rheinhessen, it quickly became a favorite across the country when it was released to the public in the middle of the 20th century.
• Regions: Most of Scheurebe’s plantings are still in the Rheinhessen, though it’s also grown in the Pfalz, Nahe, and Franken.
• Styles: Initially bred to be an aromatic variety, Scheurebe is known for its pronounced, fruity aromas.
• It has fresh acidity and is often made as a lusciously sweet wine, though dry versions are becoming more common.

• Muskateller
• Ancient variety
• Highly aromatic
• Low in acidity
• Makes for great sweet wines, but the Germans and Austrians make even better dry wines from them. 
• They can taste like a day at the beach.

Farming |

Organic

• Biodynamic practices
• Most vines planted 40 years ago
• All Mosel clones of Riesling
• Cover crops between rows.

Cellar Work |

Traditional - Low Intervention

• Light crushing
• Few hour maceration
• Gentle pressing
• Spontaneous fermentation in stückfass or stainless steel
• an extra long time on gross lees, at least one year
• extremely minimal sulfur use, and only at bottling.

About the winery |

A family winery since the 16th century now in the hands of the enigmatic Regine Minges and her father. The wines are classic interpretations of the relatively unknown, but worthy, southern Pfalz vineyards. But they seem to have a new energy and luster to them since Regine finished her studies at Geisenheim and joined her father at the winery.

These were some of the biggest “re-discoveries” for me on this last trip to Germany. Single vineyard, organically farmed grapes, made with low intervention techniques, sound, clean, pure, expressive for a fraction of the price of our beloved von Winning and Dr. Bürklin-wolf.

I went back to them again and again at lunch and I highly recommend they be given a chance for those looking for an entry way into the Pfalz without the hefty price tag.

What do the wines taste like?

Clean, pure, fruity, mineral, wholesome, not overly polished, but sound and energetic. The sweet wines are very balanced and not overwrought and the dry wines have the concentration to age without being austere.

Künstler

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Gunter Künstler

Focus |

Pinot Noir and Riesling with lots of “heart and soul”. They have character and are not overly polished.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Rheingau

 

Village |

Hochheim am Main

Climate |

Moderate Continental 

• Relatively cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is a special climate for wine in Germany because of four main factors: Aspect, Elevation, and exposure and the River.
• Historically this was the greatest region for white wine in the world. It is warmer than the Mosel, so vintages were more consistent but Its northerly latitude still put it in the cool continental climate zone. This meant perfectly balanced wines with high acid, but ripe intense fruit concentration and the ability to age for… well…ever. 
• A bend in the Rhein river means almost the entire Rheingau hillside faces due south, picking up the maximum amount of sunlight and heat available. 
• Its moderate to steep slope also helped push ripeness higher, and being along a very wide river, meant reflection of the sun onto the vines for a boost from below.
• Today, what was once a boon, has helped in its waning reputation. Many winemakers continued to push for ripeness in the warming age of climate change, meaning that wines were over ripe, high in alcohol, with low acidities, were generally unbalanced, and not as ageworthy.
• Top producers, like Küstler, have embraced the changes, replanting to red grapes like Pinot Noir and making incredible, balanced wine, reflective of terroir through a more appropriate grape for the climate.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

35 hectares in Hochheim

• Domdechaney: Hochheim, Grand Cru, Löss, loam, gravel and marl. Concentration and body with stunning minerality. Needs at least 2-5 years of development before opening.
• Kirschenstück: Hochheim, Grand Cru, heavy lime bedrock, with löss, loam, and sand. Protected from the north by Hochheim, on a south facing slope. Wines are light and lively with notes of melon and peach.
• Hölle: Hochheim, Grand Cru, Very steep site with clay, marl, lime. A light slope with lots of clay for deep dense wines that can show gorgeous complexity with enough time in the cellar.

• Steilweg: Hochheim, Grand Cru. Heavy loam and clay with sand. 50 year old vines give wine with both a fine grained texture, fruity exuberance and enough complexity for aging.

• Berg Rottland: Rudesheim, Erste Gewächs. Some deep löss, moving into shallow gravel soils with slate and sandstone. A very steep site, in a protected natural basin with great access to water. Stony, salty wines with body and power.

• Berg Schlossberg: Rudesheim, Erste Gewächs.The steepest hillside in the Rheingau with very hard quartzite and slate. Snappy, savory, delicate, lacy with high acidity and beautiful minerality. Some of the finest Riesling on earth. 

Grape Varieties |

Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Sauvignon Blanc

• High acid
• Semi aromatic
• Light to medium in body depending on location and oak application
• Originally from France
• Does extremely well in the limestone soils of the Rheingau.

Chardonnay

• Moderately high acid
• Neutral in aromatics
• Responds well to winemaking, no matter the method
• Originally from Burgundy, France
• Does well on the limestone soils of Rheingau

Farming |

Organic Practicing & Sustainable

• Fair n Green certified
• 11 hectares are worked organically
• No herbicides have been used anywhere since 1992.
• The two rivers create a very humid environment making several parcels impossible to work without fungicides.

Cellar Work |

Modern

• Musts settle by gravity and are pressed clear
• Cultured yeasts are used because of the high temperatures at harvest, which risk high volatile acidity if done spontaneously. 
• Most wines are in old cask, with some stainless steel employed.

About the winery |

Established in 1648 north of Vienna in Moravia. After WWII he was forced to expatriate and in 1965 re-established the family business at the confluence of the rivers Mains and Rhein.

What do the wines taste like?

The wines are very pure, clean, and precise, without tasting as though they’ve been sanitized and had the character stripped out of them. They are detailed and meticulous, but also delicious and satisfying.

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Gerd Gross, his wife Andrea, and their son Johannes

Focus |

A cooler-style of fine, elegant fruit and great clarity Rieslings and Pinot Noir.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Rheingau

 

Village |

Johannisberg

Climate |

Moderate Continental 

• Relatively cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is a special climate for wine in Germany because of four main factors: Aspect, Elevation, and exposure and the River.
• Historically this was the greatest region for white wine in the world. It is warmer than the Mosel, so vintages were more consistent but Its northerly latitude still put it in the cool continental climate zone. This meant perfectly balanced wines with high acid, but ripe intense fruit concentration and the ability to age for… well…ever. 
• A bend in the Rhein river means almost the entire Rheingau hillside faces due south, picking up the maximum amount of sunlight and heat available. 
• Its moderate to steep slope also helped push ripeness higher, and being along a very wide river, meant reflection of the sun onto the vines for a boost from below.
• Today, what was once a boon, has helped in its waning reputation. Many winemakers continued to push for ripeness in the warming age of climate change, meaning that wines were over ripe, high in alcohol, with low acidities, were generally unbalanced, and not as ageworthy.
• Top producers, like Georg Breuer, have always sought balance above all else, and are one of a handful of estates making brisk, intense wines, which reflect place, but are not over-wrought or flabby.
• White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

12 hectares of vines from Johannisberg, Winkler and Geisenheim in the middle Rheingau. All higher elevation, up to 660 feet, cooler sites.

• Johannisberger Goldatzel: Loam, loess, quartzite, Southeast facing at high elevation for highly mineral, taut wines.
• Johannisberger Vogelsang: Gravel, sandy loam. Very stony soils with not a lot of water retention. Vines are 70 years old and dig deep to survive. The wines are complex but delicate, finessed and pure.
• Johannisberger Hölle: Loam, quartz and some iron rich earth. Steep, stony and lots of mixed soils, not a lot of water access. Fruity, fresh and playful wines.
• Winkeler Hasensprung: Deep loess, loam with chalk, quartz and slate. gentle slope, exposed to cool westerly winds for light, tight wines.
• Geisenheimer Kläuserweg: Loam, marl, chalky clay. Deeper, denser wines with more power.

Grape Varieties |

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

Other varieties

Farming |

Sustainable

• Soil health is extremely important
• No insecticides, botryticides, and copper are ever used.
• herbicides are avoided unless absolutely necessary. 
• Manure is spread in all the vineyards
• cover crops grow between the vines to protect the healthy humus formed below
• hand harvested
• rigorous selections happen in the vineyards

Cellar Work |

Traditional

• Wine moved by gravity, the most gentle handling
• whole cluster press of grape
• Fermentation  in stainless steel or Stückfass, depending on the character of the wine
• No temperature control
• Time on the lees is not an exact science, instead decided by taste and feeling
• Typically bottled on the early side to preserve the freshness of the fruit

About the winery |

A new discovery on this trip to Germany!

This small family winery is striving to do everything right. For centuries the vineyards at the top of the Rheingau were too cold to be given Grand Cru status, but in the age of climate change, the Gross family have a treasure trove of excellent sites on their hands.

They’ve been making wine in this same village since the 1500’s. Today father, wife and son work together in the vineyards, cellar and homie tasting room to craft small production, excellent wines.

If you like wines of class and minerality these are for you.

What do the wines taste like?

These are some of the prettiest, most delicate and elegant wines from the Rheingau. This is thanks to a collection of sites at higher elevations, away from the river, where cool air and stony soils lead to wines of intense minerality and lots of acidity.

These are made in traditional methods, have just enough polish, but a bright shining soul lingers in your glass.

Georg Breuer

This Article Contains People Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Theresa Breuer, her uncle Heinrich Breuer, Hermann Schmoranz, the Estate Manager and Marcus Lunden, Cellar Master for 20 years.

Focus: Super fine, elegant, dry Rieslings from Rheingau. Founders of Charta, who focus on that particular style and champion the ranking of vineyards based on geological features and historical precedent.

Country |

Germany

Region |

Rheingau

Village |

Rudesheim

Climate |

Moderate Continental 

• Relatively cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is a special climate for wine in Germany because of four main factors: Aspect, Elevation, and exposure and the River.
• Historically this was the greatest region for white wine in the world. It is warmer than the Mosel, so vintages were more consistent but Its northerly latitude still put it in the cool continental climate zone. This meant perfectly balanced wines with high acid, but ripe intense fruit concentration and the ability to age for… well…ever. 
• A bend in the Rhein river means almost the entire Rheingau hillside faces due south, picking up the maximum amount of sunlight and heat available. 
• Its moderate to steep slope also helped push ripeness higher, and being along a very wide river, meant reflection of the sun onto the vines for a boost from below.
• Today, what was once a boon, has helped in its waning reputation. Many winemakers continued to push for ripeness in the warming age of climate change, meaning that wines were over ripe, high in alcohol, with low acidities, were generally unbalanced, and not as ageworthy.
• Top producers, like Georg Breuer, have always sought balance above all else, and are one of a handful of estates making brisk, intense wines, which reflect place, but are not over-wrought or flabby.
• White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

42 hectares, mostly in Rudesheim

• Berg Schlossberg: Rudesheim, Erste Gewächs.The steepest hillside in the Rheingau with very hard quartzite and slate. Snappy, savory, delicate, lacy with high acidity and beautiful minerality. Some of the finest Riesling on earth. 

• Berg Rottland: Rudesheim, Erste Gewächs. Some deep löss, moving into shallow gravel soils with slate and sandstone. A very steep site, in a protected natural basin with great access to water. Stony, salty wines with body and power.

• Berg Roseneck: Rudesheim, Erste Gewächs. Deep Phyllite, clay and quartz slate.

• Nonnenberg (Monopole): Rauenthal, Erste Gewächs. South facing site, deep Phyllite soils with gravel deposit. 15 km east/inland from the winery.
• Lorch: 15 km from the winery to the west, around the bend in the Rhine and down a side valley

Grape Varieties |

69% Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

11% Pinot Noir / Spätburgunder

• German Pinot Noir wines are vinified as dry red wines with complex cherry aroma with subtle hints of smoke and almond, slight tannins, and high acidity, with a long finish.
• Had a poor reputation thanks to high yielding, work-horse, clonal material.
• Now Burgundy clones dominate vineyards for the best producers showcasing this incredible variety's true potential.

10% Pinot Blanc / Weissburgunder

• A white skinned mutation of Pinot Noir
• The secret weapon of the Teutonics. They make the best versions of this grape, and they don’t share them.
• Germany is now the world’s leading producer of Pinot Blanc
• pale to straw yellow in color, and delicate on the nose. A slightly nutlike aroma is typical. Vinified dry, its medium to full body and fine acidity complement many types of food.
• Good examples age very well, although generally made with the aim of everyday fresh and dry wines in mind. Even these seemingly innocuous wines have the ability to age over decades..Pinot Gris / Grauburgunder

• A pink-skinned genetic mutation of Pinot Noir.
• Likely introduced from across the border in nearby Alsace by Cistercian monks. 
• Takes on many styles in Germany. 
• The country is the world’s third-largest producer of the grape.
• Typically dry and can range from light and fresh to rich and oak-aged. 
• Most of the time, these wines are more concentrated and flavorful than Pinot Grigio of Italy, with notes of apple, pear, and nuts.
• Because of its pink skins, Pinot Gris also makes delicious orange wines. 

Ancient grapes: Orléans, Heunisch

Farming |

Organic practices

• Certified by Fair n Green
• Top sites/wines have yields of 15-25 hl/ha (very, very low for Germany)
• Village and Estate wines yield 45 ha/ha on average (still low for Germany)
• Grapes are picked for physiological and aromatic ripeness, not sugar ripeness
• Botrytis is avoided
• A goal of biodiversity rather than monoculture, part of the AmBiTo project.
• Cover crops employed
• No herbicides or pesticides

Cellar Work |

Modern

• Quick press up to 2 bars
• Settle in dopplestück or stainless steel
• Juice browns out, to help with stability later on
• Inoculate with cultivated yeast for clean, quick fermentations, and to avoid malolactic fermentation
• Experimenting with spontaneous fermentations
• pH of Rheingau Riesling is too high to prevent naturally
• No temperature control, but the cellar is very cold. 
• Fermentations get up to 26 degrees celsius.
• Battonage on the fine lees
• Filtered before bottling.
• Reds are kept separate to avoid ML as well
• Reds are low extraction, fermented in open top fermenters
• All top wines are expected to age 

About the winery |

Founded in 1880 and slowly expanded over the next 100 years. Bernard Breuer, Theresa’s dad, was the driver behind the Charta organization. Started to promote dry, elegant wines in the Rheingau, and to classify vineyards based on old site names (rather than the land consolidation of 1971). 

He was also the first to export the wines internationally. In Europe and domestically these are some of THE most sought out and prized dry wines in Germany. Somms and collectors go crazy for them, a phenomenon that has yet to catch on here in the states.

Sadly, Bernard passed away suddenly  at 57 in 2004. Since then his daughter Theresa, with the help of family and a long time, dedicated team have kept up the good work. These are some of the finest dry Rieslings in the Rheingau, from incredible, mostly cooler sites, with very little in common with the historical sweet wines of the region.

What do the wines taste like?

Like nothing else in Rheingau, and really nothing else in Germany for that matter. These wines encapsulate purity with the differences in site being expressed by slightly different impressions on the palate. Layers of filigreed texture, stones and salt, cream and silk.

Everything in the lineup is thrilling, linear and precise, from the regional charm wines to the single vineyard bottlings. There are few things as special as the late release project, which give a glimpse into the staying power of these wines. I drank a Schlossberg 2017 in Mainz and it was an unforgettable experience of restraint and power.

The wines are deep, rich, powerful and dramatic...pinnacles in the history of dry German Riesling. -- Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate

Dr. Bürklin-Wolf

This Article Contains People Focus Country Region Village Climate Vineyards Grape Varieties Farming Cellar Work About the winery What do the wines taste like?

People |

Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze: Owner, Nicola Libelli: Cellar Master, and Jan Hock: Viticulturist.  

 

Focus |

Dry, Crystalline, Traditionally crafted Rieslings from an incredible collection of Pfalz vineyards

Country |

Germany

Region |

Pflaz

Village |

Wachenheim

Climate |

Cool to Moderate Continental 

• Cold winters, hot, medium length, fairly rainy summers, with long, cool, dry autumns.
• This is the warmest region in Germany with more Mediterranean-like temperatures. You can even find fig and olive trees growing among the vines.
• Winters are usually not as cold as they were historically. Summers are much hotter, drought is a serious problem, and autumns start later and are often much wetter than they used to be.
• Moderate climate wines are relatively high in acid, with lower than average alcohols, medium to light in body, and often show a lot of mineral flavors along with ripe fruit notes. 
• White grapes are the majority but there are some great light reds, like Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier that can also ripen well.
• Warmer vintages: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2015 produce wines with lower acidity, higher alcohols, and richer fruit flavors.
• Cooler vintages: 2021, 2013, 2010, 2008 produce what are now considered “classic” cool-climate wines
• 2022 is an enigma. It was hot and very dry for most of the growing season, but rain and long cold fall ended up giving us wines that taste more like “classic” cool-climate wines than rich, ripe wines.

Vineyards |

86 hectares in 3 villages. In 1990 they started classifying all of their vineyards in the Burgundian format of Village, 1er Cru (PC) and Grand Cru (GC). They’ve kept these labels even as the VDP has now classified the same sites as Erste and Grosse Lage.

• Kirchenstück: Forst, Erste Gewächs. “The Montrachet of the Pfalz”, surrounded by the other GC vineyards. The only site rated with the top score of 65 by the Bavarian vineyard classification of 1828. This is a southeast slope with basalt rock, limestone scree, red sandstone, dense clay and sand giving it minerality and access to enough water even in the hottest of years. A vineyard known for complexity, elegance, brilliance, unmatched power and expression like nowhere else. Wines need decades in the cellar to unfurl. Their .5 ha was planted in 1985.

• Pechstein: Forst, Erste Gewächs. Southeast facing slope with high proportions of black basalt for a flinty intense minerality mixed with limestone from an ancient coral reef for structure and sandstone for good measure. B-W owns 2.33 hectares with vines planted in 1978.

• Ungeheuer: Forst Erste Gewächse. A basalt laden vineyard, but with complex soil structure including limestone, rubble, sandstone and with dense clay meaning access to water for more nutrition and excellent mineral underpinning to the wines. The south-east slope gives ample sun and being at the foot of the Haardt Mountains, gives cooler airflow and brighter acidity. B-W .9 ha were planted in 1985.

• Jesuitengarten: Forst, Erste Gewächs. The second best vineyard after Kirchenstück. Eastern facing slope with Basalt and limestone mixed, the best of both worlds! Because of replanting in 2015, B-W is not bottling this as a single vineyard GC wine.

• Hohenmogen: Deidesheim GC. From the Mittelhaardt on a warm slope with sandstone and a band of limestone. This gives the wines from here both power and a linear focus. B-W has .9 ha planted in 1979.

• Langenmorgen: Deidesheim, Erste Gewächs. A semicircle of a vineyard surrounded by the Paradiesgarten, next to the cooling forest, with a southeastern slope. The site was first mentioned in 1491 and the name refers to the amount of land a man can work with a horse in a day. Top soil is loam with high limestone content over deep loess, red and white sandstone. A lighter, brighter GG. B-W has .68 ha planted in 1976.

• Kalkofen: Deidesheim, Erste Gewächs. Once a lime kiln and source of limestone bricks, now a warm south facing site with plenty of limestone and marl soils. Wines are super mineral with a Burgundian structure. This is one of my favorite sites in the Pfalz. B-W has .7 ha planted in 1973.
• Gaisböhl (Monopol): Ruppertsberg GC. 7.5 ha planted in 1977, 5.2 are classified as GC. South facing slope at the foot of the Mittelhaardt. Gravel and clay over red sandstone give them an especially powerful elegance that can take time in the bottle to really come to life.
• Reiterpfad: Ruppertsberg, Erste Lage. A very large 86 ha low slope with a southeast exposition. A very warm site due to a sandstone wall surrounding the vineyard. Diverse soils with sand and sandy loam over red sandstone, limestone and loess throughout. Wines tend to be very dense and long lived for an Erste Lage site. B-W has .83 ha planted in 2004. 
• Goldbächel: Wachenheim PC. Southern exposure with red and yellow sandstone over a layer of river rocks, which allow the wines greater access to water. A boon in the dry years. 
• Rechbächel (Monopol): Wachenheim PC. Very similar to the Goldbächel in soil make up.
• Gerümpel: Wachenheim PC. A unique site in the Pechstein that shares similarities to Pechstein in Forst with lots of black basalt.
• Altenburg: Wachenheim PC. A top site in Wachenheim since the Middle Ages. This east facing (cooler) slope is right by the forest, giving it lots of sunshine in the morning but earlier shading in the afternoon. The wines are brighter and more linear.
• Böhlig: Wachenheim PC. South east facing with red and yellow sandstone, but a high level of limestone as well, which is rare for the village.
• Hohenburg: Ruppertsberg PC. At the foot of the Mittelhaardt with white and red sandstone. 

Grape Varieties |

Riesling

• The King of White Grapes. 
• High acid, semi aromatic
• A huge variation in style potential from very light and dry, sparkling to the most unctuously sweet wines on the planet. 
• Divisive for its high acidity and sugar retaining capabilities
• Perfect in its dynamic nature, ability to transmit the slightest nuance of terroir and being capable of aging for hundreds of years. 

Farming |

Biodynamic

• One of the first certified Biodyn along with DRC in France.
• Hand harvested for the PC and GC.

Cellar Work |

Traditional - Natural

• Fermentations are spontaneous and can take as long as they want
• No or little temperature control 
• PC & GC Riesling only large oak from 600-3,000L: Stockinger from Austria, Mattern, from Pfalz, and Assmann from Franconia
• They spend 6 months to a year in cask on their fine lees. 
• Because of the thick staves and humid cellar they can actually become relatively reductive.
• Sweet and off-dry wines are in a mix of stainless steel and barrel

About the winery |

One of the most historic estates in Germany is making its best wine today. This is thanks to the forward thinking Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze who took over from her father in 1990 and recommitted to making wine at the highest quality.

She undertook the process of ranking all their vineyards into a Burgundy village, then in an effort to preserve the soils for future generations, converted to organics. After being introduced to Biodynamics and Nicholas Joly, they decided they needed to take everything a step further and now all 65 hectares are certified Biodyn as well, a true feat.

It’s often thought that estates of this size are just not capable of making wine at this level, they just can’t put the attention and man hours needed for craftsmanship. It's also difficult to coordinate between a viticulturist and a cellar master, as they often have two sets of goals. But Bettina is blessed with an incredible team, whose enthusiasm for their job and ability to work as a cohesive unit is unmatched in wine. 

Nikola Libelli, from Italy works in tandem with Jan Hock whose lives and breaths vineyard work. This magic team imbues itself into the wines, they are serious and yet have a playful energy coursing through them. Bettina for her part trusts, them to try to continuously refine their methods, in and out of the cellar. The results are some of Germany’s greatest wines.

What do the wines taste like?

The majority are dry, complex, structured, and overtly textural. The best are power-houses of sinewy density and mineralic concentration. All possess that inherent steely spike of acidity, a signature of German wines. 

The off-dry and sweet wines are also stunning. I only wish they made more of them as this style is not in fashion and the house wants to focus on its terroir expressive dry wines. 

These were some of the most enthralling wines I've had this last trip to Germany.