We toured the ancient cellar and and had a tasting of the Staatsweingut Meersburg wines. Hanna Neuser of EcoCert and Consultant at Staatsweingut Meersburg was our host.
Staatsweingut Meersburg
Staatsweingut Meersburg is located in the small town of Meersburg just above the port of Meersburg on Lake Constance in the Baden wine-growing region in Germany.
Staastweingut Meersburg basically never changed ownership: it has always been in the hands of the rulers of Baden.
Wine production in Meersburg has been first documented in 1210. This year also marks the establishment of the Staatsweingut Meersburg. However in those days it was the winery of the Prince-Bishop of Constance who reigned over Baden. For 600 years the winery stayed in he hands of the Prince-Bishops.
A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office. Thus the principality ruled politically by a prince-bishop could be wholly or largely overlap with his diocesan jurisdiction, but not necessarily.
In 1802 Napoleon secularized all church properties and ownership changed to the Markgraf von Baden who was the ruling King of Baden in those days.
The Grand Duchy of Baden remained a sovereign country until it joined the German Empire in 1871. After the revolution of 1918, and the abolishment of the monarchy in Germany, Baden became part of the Weimar Republic as the Republic of Baden. The Republic of Baden as the successor of the Grand Duchy of Baden took over the winery (but it did not take over Schloss Salem, which became the private property of the Markgraf of Baden).
After 1945 Baden and Württemberg were merged to the Republic of Baden-Württemberg, which is the current owner of the Staatsweingut Meersburg.
The so-called Reithof complex today houses the sales office, the cellars and the estate administration. Also available on site is a restaurant and wine bar with a view of the lake and the Alps.
The beautiful wine cellar of the Staatsweingut Meersburg was built in 1720, when the Prince-Bishop of Stauffenberg (1658-1740) owned the castle. The white wines and blanc de noirs are slowly fermented at cool temeperatures, in order to retain their natural light, fruity character. The red wines are amtured in large oak barrels or in French barriques.
The vineyard area totals 62 hectares with holdings in the following sites: Bengel, Chorherrnhalde, Lerchenberg, Jungfernstieg and Rieschen (Meersburg – monopole holding), Olgaberg – highest vineyard in Germany at 520 metres above sea level (Hohentwiel), as well as Ritterhalde (Gailingen). The area is planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Traminer and Regent.
Dinner at Restaurant Bürgerbräu (Chef Simon Metzler) in Überlingen
The day ended with dinner at Restaurant Bürgerbräu - recommended by the Guide Michelin - in Überlingen. Chef Simon Metzler and his wife Katja run the place in the third generation. Chef Simon Metzler started his career with Chef Stefan Marquard, was the tour chef of the Rock Band "Die Toten Hosen" and worked for a number of years in Berlin, before returning home to Überlingen and taking over the family business.
We took one "final drink for the road" at Überlingen's in-place Zum Galgen.
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