We enjoyed a wonderful winemaker dinner in Frankfurt at Döpfner's im Maingau with 3 German star winemakers: Andreas Stigler of Weingut Stigler in Baden, Fritz Groebe of Weingut K.F. Groebe in Rheinhessen and Urban Kaufmann of Weingut Kaufmann in the Rheingau. The wines were outstanding as was the menu prepared by Chef Jörg Döpfner.
We visited all three winemakers during one of the recent Germany tours by ombiasy WineTours.
See:
Tasting and Cellar Tour at Weingut Stigler, Baden, with Andreas, Regina and Max Stigler - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Visit and Tasting at Weingut Groebe in Westhofen, Rheinhessen, with Fritz Groebe - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Family-style Wine-pairing Lunch at Weingut Hans Lang - Kaufmann, with Owners/ Winemakers Urban Kaufmann and Eva Raps - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Döpfner's im Maingau
Döpfner's im Maingau is the restaurant of Hotel Maingau, which has been owned and run by the Döpfner family for more than 60 years, now in the hands of Jörg and Martina Döpfner.
A few years ago Jörg and Martina Döpfner decided to restructure the hotel. As a result, Maingau has become a hotel that is focussing on events and conferences, and the fine dining restaurant Döpfner's im Maingau - widely known for its excellent food and well-stocked wine cellar - was moved to the back. Since the restructuring, the Döpfner's im Maingau opens only for special events, like the winemaker dinner with the Stigler, Groebe and Kaufmann Estates.
Three generations of the Döpfner family were present at the winemaker dinner. Senior Werner Döpfner was in charge of the restaurant service, Jörg Döpfner was in charge of the cooking, Martina Döpfner received the guests and dined with us. And their their teenage son was helping out in the kitchen and in the service.
Weingut Stigler
Weingut Stigler was founded in Ihringen in 1881. Today, it is run by the fourth generation of the founding family, Andreas and Regina Stigler. Their 12 hectares are situated primarily in the sites Ihringer Winklerberg, Freiburger Schlossberg, and Oberrotweiler Eichberg. From the 18th century to the end of the second world war, the Stiglers were also restaurateurs in the old post house as well as the large restaurant in the Freiburg train station.
Andreas and Regina Stigler still share this passion and regularly offer culinary wine tastings with top chefs de cuisine. Careful winemaking brings forth wines full of character, with great aging potential. Pinot Noir is their most important varietal and accounts for 30% of their vines. It is strongly marked by the mineral-rich, stony soils, as are the red and white Pinots as well as typically for Stiglers, the Riesling.
Owner: Andreas und Regina Stigler
Winemaker: Andreas Stigler
Outside Manager: Andreas Stigler
VDP member since 1986
Bottle production 90 000
Grape varieties 30% Spätburgunder, 17% Grauburgunder, 15% Weissburgunder, 14% Riesling sowie Chardonnay, Silvaner, Traminer, Sauvignon und Chenin Blanc
Geology: Vulkanverwitterungsgesteinsböden, Gneisverwitterung
Growing area: Baden
Weingut K.F. Groebe
Weingut K.F. Groebe has been in the family's hands for more than 250 years. Friedrich and Manuela Groebe cultivate nearly nine hectares of vines in Westhofen, concentrated in renowned sites such as AULERDE, KIRCHSPIEL and MORSTEIN. 2012 saw Weingut K.F. Groebe return to its traditional home of Westhofen. Friedrich Groebe’s signature wine style reflects his own distinctive mix of organic cultivation, spontaneous fermentation and barrel aging. The winemaker's pride and joy: long-lived, nobly sweet Rieslings of international repute. His wines undergo an extended maturation on the lees before being bottled. Patience, intuition and attention are the keys to managing maturation, not unnecessary interventions or high tech solutions. This approach gives Groebe the flexibility for targeted stylistic exploration, with an eye toward better expression of the individual vintage and the larger German Riesling tradition. It requires an unflagging pioneer spirit, yet opens up the freedom to create wines entirely in line with his own confident vision.
Owner: Friedrich Groebe
Winemaker: Friedrich Groebe
Outside Manager: Friedrich Groebe
VDP member since 2000
Bottle production: 55 000
Grape varieties: 70% Riesling, 10% Silvaner, 10% Grauburgunder, 8% Spätburgunder and others
Soil: Lössboden mit Gehängelehm & tonigen, kiesigen Sanden im Untergrund (Aulerde), Kalksteinverwitterungsboden & Tonmergel (Kirchspiel, Morstein)
AULERDE, Westhofen. VDP.GROSSE LAGE
MORSTEIN, Westhofen, VDP.GROSSE LAGE
KIRCHSPIEL, Westhofen, VDP.GROSSE LAGE
Weingut Kaufmann
Can’t we all imagine the unbridled joy of bringing our closest-held dream to life? Swiss-born Urban Kaufmann, who long dreamed of owning his own winegrowing estate, knows that feeling better than most. Up through 2013, even as he served as owner of one of the most successful Appenzeller cheese dairies, he also traveled to Europe’s finest wine regions, scouting out the ideal spot to turn his dream into reality. The Rheingau, it turns out, was just that sort of place. He joined up with Eva Raps, the former long-standing director of the VDP, in acquiring Weingut Hans Lang, an organically certified estate. They then began a diligent, step-by-step pursuit of their vision of what a Rheingau wine can be. The estate, which now also bears the Kaufmann name, produces traditional Rheingau Rieslings, alongside a range of Pinot wines (Blanc, Gris and especially Pinot Noir). That latter variety has long been the estate’s calling card, drawing admirers throughout Germany for over twenty years.
Owner Urban Kaufmann
Winemaker Urban Kaufmann
VDP member since 1994
Hectares of vineyards 18
Bottle production 160 000
Grape varieties 75% Riesling, 15% Spätburgunder, 10% Weiss- & Grauburgunder sowie Chardonnay
Geology leichte tertiäre Mergelböden, tiefgründige Lösse und Lösslehme, steinig-grusige Buntschieferverwitterungsböden
HASSEL, Hattenheim | VDP.GROSSE LAGE®
SCHÖNHELL, Hallgarten | VDP.GROSSE LAGE®
WISSELBRUNNEN, Hattenheim | VDP.GROSSE LAGE®
Schützenhaus, Hattenheim | VDP.ERSTE LAGE®
Hendelberg, Hallgarten | VDP.ERSTE LAGE®
Menu
2011 STIGLER Blanc de Blancs brut
Amuse Bouche
Gänsestopfleber mit Cranberryragout und Brioche
2014 Rheingau Riesling Kabinett Weingut Kaufmann
2017 KIRCHENSPIEL Riesling Kabinett Weingaut Groebe
Gebratene Riesengarnele auf Mango-Chinoa
2017 WESTHOFENER Grauburgunder trocken Weingut Groebe
2016 Grauburgunder M Weingut Stigler
Seeteufel auf Kräuterrisotto und Ofentomate
2017 Uno Weißburgunder & Chardonnay Weingut Kaufmann
2012 Ihringen Winklerberg Weißburgunder GG Pagode Weingut Stigler
Duett vom Hirsch auf Petersilienwurzelpüree, Steinpilzen und Semmeltalermuffin
2014 Wisselbrunnen Riesling GG Weingut Kaufmann
2012 KIRCHSPIEL Riesling Grande Réserve Weingut Groebe
2011 Freiburg Schlossberg Spätburgunder GG Weingut Stigler
Apfelstrudel Reloaded 2.0
2001 Wisselbrunnen Riesling Spätlese Weingut Kaufmann
2016 AULERDE Riesling Auslese Weingut Groebe
Bye-bye
Thanks to all of you for an outstanding evening.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
UPCOMING Tours/ Wine Dinners/ Tastings - Annette and Christian Schiller/ ombiasyPR & WineTours/ schiller-wine, Germany, France, USA (Issued: November 1, 2018)
Ombiasy Wine Tours 2018: 3 x France and 3 x Germany - Ombiasy Newsletter December 2017
Tasting and Cellar Tour at Weingut Stigler, Baden, with Andreas, Regina and Max Stigler - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Visit and Tasting at Weingut Groebe in Westhofen, Rheinhessen, with Fritz Groebe - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Family-style Wine-pairing Lunch at Weingut Hans Lang - Kaufmann, with Owners/ Winemakers Urban Kaufmann and Eva Raps - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Doepfner’s im Maingau Meets Frankfurt/Wein, with Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier and Weingut Chat Sauvage, Frankfurt am Main, Germany