Picture: At Schloss Johannisberg in the Rheingau at "Spätlese Reiter" (Later Harvest Rider) Monument, with Christian Wiite, General Manager of Weingut Schloss Johannisberg
The Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (September 6 – September 12, 2015) was the third of three wine tours in Germany in 2015, organized by Annette Schiller. The group was small - there were 7 of us, including Annette and Christian Schiller. This posting provides an overview. More specific postings focusing on individual events will follow (see list below).
On the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours in 2015, we visited a total of 14 wineries in 5 different wine regions: Rheingau, the jewel in the crown, with its perfect, fuller bodied, racy Rieslings; Mittelrhein where the Rieslings grow on the steep slopes of the fortress- and castle-ribboned banks of the Rhine river; Ahr with its sun collecting canyons perfect for the finicky Pinot Noir grape; Mosel with its dizzying steep vineyards and famous elegant Rieslings; Nahe and its serene, peaceful valley where perfect harmonious wines reflect their roots.
Annette Schiller: Our way of traveling allows wine lovers to fully experience authentic Germany. Drawing on our love and deep knowledge of Germany and close personal ties to many personalities in the wine scene, our small group visits many of the hidden gems that other tours pass by, but which are essential to comprehend what German wine is all about.
DAY 1: Sunday, September 06
09:30 am Departure in Frankfurt.
10:30 am Tour and tasting at winery Baron Knyphausen (VDP) in Erbach, Rheingau.
The winery Baron Knyphausen goes back to one of the oldest viticultural enterprises. The Draiser Hof -home of the winery- was built in 1141 by the Cistercian monks of the Eberbach Abbey to cultivate the monastery’s vineyards and fields in Erbach and Eltville.
In 1818 the Baron zu Knyphausen family purchased the estate and the vineyards. The holdings include the famous Erbacher Marcobrunn, one of the top terroirs in the Rheingau. Almost 60 acres are under vines and planted mostly with Riesling (85%), and with 10% of Pinot Noir and 5% with indigenous grapes such as red Riesling.
Gerko Freiherr zu Knyphausen was our host.
12:45 pm Lunch at Restaurant & Gutsausschank Baiken in the vineyards above the town of Eltville.
This wine tavern sits right in the middle of the vineyards on the hill overlooking the town of Eltville. Indulge in the unrivaled view on the vineyards around you and the Rhine river below. Enjoy the food carefully selected and sourced from local farms and the excellent selection of wines from the Rheingau region.
03:00 pm At Weinhotel Koegler in Eltville - a small, upscale boutique hotel located within the historic walls of the Koegler winery in the center of Eltville with a wonderful combination of medieval stone walls and ultra modern décor. We spend the night in a house that made world history: In 1467 it was here that Johannes Gutenberg created the most important early prints of the oldest dictionary world-wide.
In the afternoon we explored the beautiful upmarket, historic town of Eltville situated right on the banks of the Rhine River. Annette and I took a break at the wine tasting booth at the river front and enjoyed watching the cargo boats that travel the river up- and downstream.
06:00 pm At Eberbach Abbey, where we attend a concert as part of the Rheingauer Music Festival.
Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery on the eastern bank of the Rhine river. Today Eberbach Abbey is one of the five State-owned wineries (the State of Hesse is its proprietor) and with 500 acres the largest winery in Germany. Its Romanesque and Gothic buildings are impressive. The vineyards of Eberbach Abbey were, at 750 acres, the largest in medieval Europe. We had the opportunity to tour the Abbey, including the old monk’s dormitory where every year the famous auction of premium German wines takes place. A very special treat was a peek into the treasure chamber, where century old wine bottles are still stored and where the movie “The Name of the Rose” with Sean Connery was filmed in 1986.
06:00 pm Multiple concerts (Lieder, Baroque Music, Guitar Music) in the different halls of the Eberbach Abbey, performed by members of the Frankfurt School of Music and Performing Arts.
08:00 pm Concert in the Basilika of Eberbach Abbey: “L’isola disabitata” by Joseph Haydn, performed by the ensemble of the Frankfurt School of Music and Performing Arts.
DAY 2: Monday, September 07
11:45 am Tour and Lunch with wine pairing at Wein- und Sektgut Barth in Hattenheim.
The Wine and Sekt Estate Barth was founded in 1948 by the father of Norbert Barth, the current owner. Besides excellent wines, from early on Barth produced sparkling wines – Sekt – and in 1992 a Sekt manufactury was completed to be able to produce the Sekts entirely at the premises. All Sekts are bottle fermented in the méthod traditionelle starting with base wine production, subsequent bottling, bottle fermentation, hand-riddling, and disgorging. All Sekts remain on the lease between 24 and 36 months. In 2010 Barth released the first ever German sparkler made from a Premier Cru base wine. The novelty was named Barth Primus, and put Barth on the map for the serious Sekt lover.
Mark P. Barth was our host.
03:00 pm Visit and tasting at winery Josef Spreitzer (VDP) in Oestrich.
The winery Spreitzer is one of the oldest in Oestrich and can look back to a viticulture tradition since 1641. Current owners are the brothers Andreas and Bernd and they share the opinion that wine is both, a philosophy of life and a tremendous joie de vivre. Their 46 acres of vineyards are planted with the Rheingau’s classic varietals, Riesling (97%) and Pinot Noir (3%). Quality is of utmost importance here and the gorgeous vaulted cellar, built in 1743, guarantees perfect conditions for storing and ageing the wines. The results are aromatic Rieslings that regularly are rated among the best of the Rheingau.
Bernd Speitzer was our host.
05:00 pm Departure for Bacherach
On the way we stopped at the Oestricher Kran, a former wine barrel loading crane dating from 1744. This is the only preserved testimonial of an old technique to load and discharge cargo. The Oestricher Kran was in use until 1926.
The short journey to Bacharach involved a ferry ride across the Rhine river. There is no bridge across the Rhine River for some 70 miles between Mainz and Koblenz to not destroy the beauty of the Rhine valley.
06:00 pm At Hotel Altkölnischer Hof in Bacharach, Mittelrhein, a 3 star charming, family run hotel with all modern amenities in the center of the romantic 1000 year old town of Bacharach.
The evening in this more than 1000 year old town with its castles, church spires, medieval city wall, and half-timbered houses on the shore of the Rhine River was fascinating. This was pure “Rheinromantik”.
DAY 3: Tuesday, September 08
09:00 am Visit and tasting at winery Toni Jost (VDP) in Bacharach, Mittelrhein.
For over 180 years, the Jost family has been cultivating vineyards in Bacharach. The family’s focus was always on acquiring vineyards in Bacharach’s top site, the so-called Hahn. Today, five generations later the “Hahn” almost exclusively belongs to the Jost estate. Current owner is Peter Jost together with his daughter Cecilia, who is also the winemaker. The 37 acres of vineyard land are planted mostly with Riesling (80%). 15% is planted with Pinot-Noir, and the rest with Pinot-Blanc, and Dunkelfelder (a cross breed between Farbertraube and Blauer Portugieser, however more sophisticated DNA tests show different parents). One third of the vineyards are located in the Rheingau region, in Walluf and Martinsthal. Because of these vineyards in the Rheingau the estate has been a member of the VDP Rheingau since 1989. In 1987 Peter Jost was founding member of the VDP Mittelrhein.
Cecilia Jost was our host.
11:15 am Cruise on the Rhine River from Bacharach to Boppard.
We took a cruise on the Rhine, passing the famous Loreley Rock and the slopes of the Mittelrhein wine region. Time to indulge in the breathtakingly beautiful view of the Rhine River and its banks dotted with castles, fortresses, and ruins dating from the middle ages. The Middle-Rhine valley is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
12:50 pm Lunch at the beautiful Belle Epoque restaurant Le Bristol in the Hotel Bellevue in Boppard right on the Rhine river.
04:30 pm Visit and tasting at winery J.J.Adeneuer in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Ahr.
This winery has been in the hands of the same family for 500 years. The brothers Marc and Frank concentrate exclusively on the red Pinot grapes: Pinot Noir (90%) and Pinot Noir Précoce (10%). They explain the reason for their decision: “At the end of the day, Pinot Noir is always good for a surprise and therefore, it requires more attention.” For the Adeneuers, terroir is noy just a trendy word, but rather “the soul of the wines”. They are the sole owners of the spectacular site “Walporzheimer Gärkammer”.
Marc Adeneuer was our host.
06:45 pm At hotel Ännchen in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, a 3 star family run hotel within the medieval town walls in Ahrweiler on the pedestrian precinct.
We had dinner in the medieval Old Town and tried some more fine Ahr wines.
DAY 4: Wednesday, September 09
09:30 am Vineyard walk and tasting at winery Meyer-Näkel (VDP) in Dernau, Ahr.
This winery has long been recognized as one of the top estates for producing great Pinot-Noirs. The Ahr valley north of the 50 °latitude is unquestionable the northernmost region for producing top Pinot-Noirs. The secret lies in an ideal micro-climate found in the narrow canyons along the river with their very special geological conditions, and south-facing slopes. Wine making along the tiny Ahr river goes back to Roman times. The Meyer-Näkel wine estate as we know it today was established upon the marriage of Paula Meyer and Willibald Näkel, the parents of the current owner. Although Willibald Näkel only cultivated 4.5 acres under vines he was already a pioneer for the then rather unusual dry red wines from the Ahr valley. Today’s winery encompasses 48 acres and is managed by Werner Näkel, his wife Claudia and their daughters Meike and Dőrte.
Dörte Näkel was our host.
12:30 pm Lunch at Historisches Gasthaus Hammesmühle in Mayen.
04:15 pm Tasting at winery Dr. Loosen in Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel.
The Dr.Loosen winery has been in the hands of the Loosen family for over 200 years. Located just outside of Bernkastel, it is one of the larger producers in the Mosel region with 130,000 bottles produced annually. In the US the winery is particularly known for its sweeter style Rieslings of top quality. Ernst Loosen is the current owner and while most often associated with the sweet-style, low alcohol wines very often to be found on the shelves of wine stores in the US, he is producing top dry Rieslings on the Premier and Grand Cru (GG) level, which he recently introduced to the market in the US. He also produces white and red wines in the Pfalz in Germany (J.L.Wolf winery) and in the US in Washington state (Chateau St. Michelle) and in Oregon (J. Christopher wines).
Markus Schulte was our host.
06:45 pm At Märchenhotel in Bernkastel-Kues, a 4 star elegant cultural heritage hotel that opened its door to travelers in 1640. It is owned and managed by the 10th generation of the same family. It is located in the center of the picturesque village of Bernkastel.
We had a lovely evening in this picture-perfect little town, had a glass of Mosel Riesling at the Spitzenhäuschen, and walked along the banks of the Mosel River.
DAY 5: Thursday, September 10
09:30 am Tasting at winery St. Urbans-Hof (VDP) in Leiwen, Mosel.
St. Urbans-Hof is a rather young wine estate by European standards. The winery was established in 1947 by the grandfather of the current owner Nik Weis. Nik’s father, Hermann Weis mastered the art of vine grafting and was well known in Germany and beyond for his skills. He was particularly known for his work with the Riesling grape. In the beginning of the 70s, he pioneered the use of Riesling in Canada, which was then still new to the idea of quality wine making. Hermann Weis planted the first Riesling vines in the Niagara Peninsula. This developed later into the Vineland Estate Winery. At home in Leiwen he expanded the estate considerably and his son Nik now cultivates 79 acres of vines in a broad spectrum of outstanding sites in the Mosel and Saar valleys. In 2010 the Feinschmecker (the most prestigious gourmet and wine magazine in Germany) ranked St. Urbans-Hof among Germany’s 16 five star wine estates. The wines show elegance, lightness and finesse. The majority of the production goes into the export and the St. Urbans-Hof wines are widely available in the US and Canada.
Nik Weis was our host.
01:00 pm Vineyard tour, tasting and wine pairing lunch at winery Van Volxem (VDP) in Wiltingen, Saar valley, Mosel.
The Van Volxem winery is located in the center of the historic town of Wiltingen in the valley of the Saar river, a tributary of the Mosel. The foundation of the estate is a villa from Roman times, still visible today. Some of the estate’s best vineyard sites have already been laid out and cultivated by the Romans in the 3rd century and are among the steepest ever. The Van Volxem wines have a very distinctive purist styl