Weingut Markgraf von Baden comprises 2 estates: Schloss Salem in the Lake Constance Region and Schloss Staufenberg in the Ortenau, both in the Baden Region. We spent a full day at Schloss Salem. We started in the morning with a tour of Schloss Salem, followed by lunch at Restaurant Zum Schwanen on the grounds of Schloss Salem. In the afternoon, we visited the Schloss Salem Estate of Weingut Markgraf von Baden. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Kirche Birnau. In the evening, we took a stroll through Meersburg and enjoyed the incredible charm of Meersburg and Lake Constance.
Lake Constance
Lake Constance - in German: Bodensee - is shared by Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The largest City on the lake is Constance - in German: Konstanz. On the Swiss side is the Canton of Thurgau, where the grape variety Müller Thurgau comes from, created by Hermann Müller in 1882. The Austrian part does not have much wine, if any; the wine regions of Austria are on the other side of the country, in the east.
Picture: Lake Constance in the South of Germany, with Swiss MountainsSee also: The Evolving Structure of the Wine Industry in Germany– The Case of the Lake Constance Region
Salem
Schloss Salem is an impressive ensemble of majestic buildings. It was founded as a Cistercian Abbey in 1134, when Bernard de Clairvaux ventured from his home base Burgundy to establish Cistercian monasteries on the eastern banks of the Rhine river. In a very short time Salem Abbey developed into one of the leading abbeys in southern Germany.
Salem Abbey experienced a second period of affluence during the Baroque era. It is fascinating to see the Gothic buildings, in particular the cathedral decorated with its unique alabaster plasterwork and the ornately Baroque style decorated rooms in the Palace.
After secularization during the Napoleonic era, Salem came into the possession of the Markgraf von Baden, the ruler of the Kingdom of Baden, and became Schloss Salem.
In the early 2000, Margrave of Baden sold Schloss Salem to the State of Baden Württemberg. But he retained all vineyards. The cellars and other parts of the Schloss Salem he uses for winemaing, are long-term leased from the State of Baden Wurttemberg.
Schloss Salem is also home of the prestigious boarding school Schule Schloss Salem. Kurt Hahn, a respected educator, who later was instrumental in establishing the International School system and the IB (International Baccaleurate) founded the school in 1920 with support of Prince Max of Baden. The student dorms are in the former monk cells and the monk’s spirit and simplicity of life can still be felt today.
Winemaking at Salem
For many centuries, the church was the only one dominant force in the wine industry at Lake Constance and from 1134, when Salem Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks, until Napoleon’s secularization in 1802, and Salem Abbey was a center of winemaking in the region.
In 1802, Salem Abbey passed into the hand of the ruler of Baden, the Margrave of Baden, and became Schloss Salem. (Similarly, the Staatsweingut Meersburg, owned by the Prince-Bishop of Constance at that time, also passed into the hands of the Margrave von Baden during Napoleon’s secularization in 1802.)
Before the secularization, when the Margrave of Baden became the owner of both the Salem and the Meersburg abbeys, including the vineyards, the House of Baden was completely absent from the Lake Constance area, as far as winemaking is concerned. The original base of the House of Baden is Schloss Staufenberg in the Ortenau, with 25 hectares of vineyard land.
While the Government of (the State of) Baden, as the successor of the Grand Duchy of Baden, took over the Staatsweingut Meersburg in 1918, it did not take over Schloss Salem, which became the private property of the Margrave of Baden.
In the Federal Republic of Germany of today, the states of Baden and Wuettemberg have been merged to form the State of Baden Wuerttemberg. In the early 2000, the Margrave of Baden sold Schloss Salem to the State of Baden Wuerttemberg. But he retained all vineyards. The cellars and other parts of the Schloss Salem he uses, are long-term leased from the State of Baden Wuerttemberg.
Weingut Markgraf von Baden
The House of Baden is deeply rooted into wine making. It owns estates in two different wine districts of Baden: In the Ortenau and in the Lake Constance regions.
The vineyard area of Schloss Salem totals 110 hectares in Bermatingen, Birnau and Schloss Kirchberg. Varieties planted here are mainly Müller-Thurgau and Pinot Noir (for Weißherbst/blanc de Noir). The wines are produced at Schloss Salem. Also, bottle-fermented sparkling wines, perlé wines and spirits are also produced. In addition, there are about 10 hectares of vineyard area along the Rhein river, close to the Swiss border.
The von Baden family had a decisive influence on viticulture in Baden. Großherzog (grand duke) Carl-Friedrich von Baden (1738-1811) is regarded as the creator of quality wine production in Baden. In 1782, he brought in 3.500 Riesling vines from the Rheingau region. These were planted as a single variety for the first time at the Grossherzog’s Klingelberg property. In the 1920s, the Margrave of Baden was the first estate in Baden to show faith in the new variety Müller-Thurgau. Since 1998, Bernhard Prinz von Baden has continued the viticultural tradition and manages the Schloss Salem Estate. He also lives there.
The original base of the von Baden family is Schloss Staufenberg in the Ortenau, with 25 hectares of vineyard land. This were the only vineyards of the von Baden family until they received the Lake Constanze vineyards as part of Napoleon’s secularization.
Schloss Salem, Germany
Owner: S.K.H. Bernhard Prinz von Baden
Managers: Sebastian Beemelmans and Volker Faust
Managing director: S.K.H. Bernhard Prinz von Baden
Cellar master: Martin Kölble
www.markgraf-von-baden.de
Lunch
We had lunch at Restaurant Zm Schwanen on the grounds of Schloss Salem.
Basilica Birnau
The Basilica Birnau is a Baroque jewel and sits majestically on a hill high above Lake Constance. It was built in 1749 and has been a pilgrimage church since then. The interior is richly decorated in the Rococo style and the church is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in all of Germany, not least because of its unrivalled position overlooking Lake Constance and its surrounding vineyards. The church is still in the hands of the Cistercian monks.
Back in Meersburg
In the evening, we took a stroll through Meersburg and enjoyed the incredible charm of Meersburg and Lake Constance.
schiller-wine: All Postings (Published and Forthcoming): Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen
Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour (and Lunch) with Robert Schätzle, Owner/ Winemaker, Weingut Schloss Neuweier in Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
La Cucina della Passione and Weingut Schloss Neuweier Wines: Wine Pairing Lunch at Röttele’s Restaurant (1 Star Michelin) at Schloss Neuweier, with Owner and Winemaker Robert Schätzle, Weingut Schloss Neuweier - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
The Music of the A Cappella Ensemble "Männer und Tenöre" and the Wines of Weingut Aufricht, Lake Constance, Baden, with Manfred Aufricht - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
The Evolving Structure of the Wine Industry in Germany– The Case of the Lake Constance Region
Schloss Salem at Lake Constance in Germany: A Museum, a School and a Wine Estate
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Markgraf von Baden in Salem, Baden
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Löffler in Wettenberg, Markgräfler Land, Baden, with Hannes Glöckner of the Löffler Family and Founder Wolfgang Löffler
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Stigler in Ihringen, Kaiserstuhl, Baden, with Andreas and Maximilian Stigler
Dinner at Restaurant Schwarzer Adler (1 Star Michelin) in Oberbergen, Kaiserstuhl, Baden.
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and Wine Taverns in Freiburg, Baden, Germany
The World Class Wines of Alsace
In the world class white wine region Alsace
Tasting at Domaine Marcel Deiss in Bergheim, Alsace
Lunch in Alsace: Wistub du Sommelier in Bergheim and Bistro L’Epicurien in Colmar
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Dirler-Cadé in Bergholtz, Alsace, with Jean Pierre Dirler and Ludevine Dirler-Cadé
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Schlumberger in Guebwiller, Alsace
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine Hugel & Fils in Riquewhir, Alsace, with Jean Frédéric Hugel
Dinner at the 1 Michelin Star Restaurant L’Achémille in Kaysersberg, with Owner/ Chef Jérome Jaegle
Wine Lunch at Weingut Jülg with Johannes Jülg– Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Jülg in Schweigen, Pfalz, with Johannes Jülg
Schiller's Favorite (Wine-) Restaurants in Deidesheim in the Pfalz, Germany
Tasting at Maison Jülg in Seebach, Alsace, with Peter Jülg
Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz – Germany-South by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz, with Valentin Rebholz and Stephanie Wagner
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Münzberg – Lothar Kesseler & Söhne in Landau-Godramstein, Pfalz, with Friedrich and Gunter Kesseler
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Rings in Freinsheim, Pfalz, with Andi Rings
Tasting at Weingut Krebs in Freinsheim, Pfalz, with Jürgen Krebs
Tasting at Sekthaus Raumland in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, Rheinhessen, with Heide-Rose and Volker Raumland
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wittmann in Westhofen, Rheinhessen, with Philipp Wittmann
Cellar Tourvisit and Tasting at Weingut Gröbe in Westhofen, Rheinhessen, with Fritz Gröbe
Cellar Tour and Wine Pairing Lunch at Weingut Louis Guntrum in Nierstein, Rheinhessen, with Konstantin and Stephanie Guntrum