The Westerhaus castle from the 16th and 17th century high above the “imperial city of Ingelheim” - once a very important seat of Charlemagne - is visible from afar. In 1900, a son of famous car manufacturer Adam Opel bought the castle and winery. Today it is managed by the 4th generation of the Opel family, Countess and Count von Schönburg-Glauchau. It is a beautiful, truly stunning estate, surrounded by 40 acres of vineyards including the Monopol Grand Cru site Schloss Westerhaus. The VDP Grosse Lage (GG) wines of Riesling and Pinot Noir are the crown jewels at the top of the quality pyramid and the village wines show the marked influence of the vineyard’s calcerous clay soils.
The Owners Countess and Count von Schönburg-Glauchau with Technical Director Toni Frank were our hosts.
Toni Frank showed us the estate. Like at Weingut Wagner-Stempel, there was a large wine festival at the estate during the weekend of our visit (Jazz & Wein). We took advantage of it and enjoyed the lovely food - Flammkuchen - that was being offered, with the wines of Weingut Schloss Westerhaus.
Weingut Schloss Westerhaus
Weingut Schloss Westerhaus is in Ingelheim in Rheinhessen. It was bought in 1900 by Heinrich Opel, one of the sons of the automobile pioneer Adam Opel. Today it is led by the great-great-granddaughter Ivonne Countess von Schönburg-Glauchau and husband Johannes Graf von Schönburg-Glauchau in the fourth generation of the family.
The vineyard area totals 17 hectares. These include the monopoly vineyard Schloss Westerhaus (13 hectares) around the castlke with limestone and Sonnenhang (Ingelheim), as well as Klostergarten and Sonnenberg (Schwabenheim).
The two main varieties are Pinot Noir and Riesling, with each accounting for one third of the total. The other varieties are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris , Chardonnay and Auxerrois .
The wines are fermented and aged in steel tanks, large oak barrels or barriques.
Weingut Schloss Westerhaus - VDP
VDP: The castle grounds from the 16th and 17th century rise high above the 'Imperial City' of Ingelheim. The Opel family first acquired ownership of the estate in 1900. Now in its 4th generation, the estate is today led by Count and Countess von Schönburg-Glauchau. Quality is writ large here, aided by the range of truly stunning vines across the entire Schloss Westerhaus site that is 100% owned by the estate. VDP.GROSSE LAGE® wines of Riesling and Pinot Noir are the crown jewels at the top of the quality pyramid. The VDP.ORTSWEINE (village wines) show the marked influence of the vineyard's calcerous clay soils. With its monopole vineyard directly in front of Westerhaus Castle, there's a certain Burgundian feel to the estate found nowhere else in Rheinhessen. In addition to its winegrowing, the family also runs the prestigious Westerberg stud farm, with multiple German Derby winners bred here.
Jazz & Wein
There was a large wine festival at the estate during the weekend of our visit (Jazz & Wein). We took advantage of it and enjoyed the lovely food - Flammkuchen - that was being offered, with the wines of Weingut Schloss Westerhaus.
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