Weingut Dr. Lindicke arguably is the leading wine producer in Brandenburg, a tiny Landwein region in the northeast of Germany. Weingut Dr. Lindicke is owned and run by Katharina Lindicke and her parents, Dr. Manfred and Bettina Lindicke. Katharina Lindicke was our host.
Katharina Lindicke met us in the Wachtelberg vineyard. After a vineyard tour she sat down with us in the wine tavern of Weingut Dr. Lindicke for a tasting.
Wine in Werder/ Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former East Germany and West Germany. It lies in the northeast of the country covering an area of 29,478 square kilometers and has roughly 2.5 million residents. The capital and largest city is Potsdam. Brandenburg surrounds but does not include the national capital and city-state Berlin, which is a metropolitan area.
Wine has been produced in Brandenburg since the Middel Ages and is being produced today, although only to a very limited extent. The wine production in Brandenburg accounts for 0.03 percent of Germany's total output. This is equivalent to about 30 percent of the production of Weingut Dr. Robert Weil in the Rheingau.
One of the early pillars of viticulture in Brandeburg was Lehnin Abbey, not far from Werder, founded in 1180 by Cistercian monks who came from Morimond Abbey in the Champagne region. (Morimond Abbey is one of the 4 daughter-abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey in Burgundy. Cîteaux is the birth place of the Cistercian Order. It was founded by Bendiction monks in 1098 who were unsatisfied with the rules of their order and started the Cistercian Order.) During medieval times the Markgrafen of Brandenburg pushed the viticultural development and Brandenburg wines were served at the dinner tables of the aristocracy.
In the mid 1800s. 192 people lived in Werder and 30 of them were winemakers, with the vineyard area totalling about 100 hectares. However starting at the end of the 19th century commercial viticulture was increasingly crowded-out by fruit orchards and the vineyards of Werder eventually disappeared completely.
Today, winemaking is back in Werder with Weingut Dr. Lindicke taking the lead. There are 2 vineyards, the Wachtelberg, which we visited, and the Galgenberg, which we saw from a distance.
The renaissance of viticulture in Werder started already in GDR times. Pushed by the City of Werder, 4.7 hectares were replanted in the Wachtelberg with vines by the GPG Obstproduktion Werder in 1985. Then came reunification and the renaissance of viticulture in Werder lost a bit of steam. But thanks to Dr. Lindicke and others, there are about 8 hectares of vineyards and 3 wine producers in Werder today. The Verein zur Förderung des historischen Weinbaus im Raum Werder (Havel) e.V. played an important role and, of course, Dr. Lindicke, who took over the Wachtelberg in 1996.
The Lindicke family entered the picture in 1991. The City of Werder asked Dr. Manfred Lindicke if he did not want to lease some of the old vineyards and grow wine there. Dr. Lindicke is a trained biologist. And an "Alter Werderaner". He and his wife Bettina supported the city's bid to promote the centuries-old tradition of viticulture in Werder, and so they said yes.
Vineyards in Werder: Wachtelberg and Galgenberg
The Wachtelberg vineyard totals 6.2 hectares today. It is owned by the City of Werder. The major part of it is long-term leased to Weingut Dr. Lindicke. The varieties Dornfelder, Regent, Saphira, Kernling, Sauvignon Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Muscaris and Cabernet blanc are currently grown on the Wachtelberg.
In 2012, the City of Werder was able to sort out the ownership problems of the other vineyard of Werder, the Galgenberg, whch is now owned by the City of Werder. The Galgenberg totals 1.4 hectares and is fully long-term leased to Weingut Dr. Lindicke.
Both the Wachtelberg and the Galgenberg belong to the Qualitätswein Anbaugebiet Saale Unstrut and Weingut Dr. Lindicke sells all his wines as Qualitätswein (mit Prädikat).
Winemaking at Weingut Dr. Lindicke
Initially, the wines of Weingut Dr. Lindicke were vinified in the state-owned winery Kloster Pforta Bad Kösen in Saxony-Anhalt. Since 2012, Weingut Dr. Lindicke has its own winemaking facility in Werder.
Qualitätswein (mit Prädikat)
Brandenburg is one of the 26 Landwein regions in Germany and thus Brandenburger Landwein is the rule in Brandenburg.
However, as a exception, the exisiting vineyards at reunification were attached to the Saale Unstrut Qualitätswein region or the Sachsen Qualitätswein region. Thus, Weingut Dr. Lindicke in Werder sells its wines as Qualitätswein (mit Prädikat) from Saale Unstrut. The wines from Schlieben in the Elbe-Elster county sell as Sachsen Qualitätswein.
Tasting with Katharina Lindicke
Following the vineyard tour we tasted a series of Weingut Dr. Lindicke wines with Katharina Lindicke.
The Wines we Tasted
NV Secco, Amelie, Weingut Dr. Lindicke, Werderaner Wachtelberg
2016 Weingut Dr. Lindicke, Werderaner Wachtelberg, Sauvignon blanc, Spätlese
2017 Weingut Dr. Lindicke, Werderaner Wachtelberg, Cabernet blanc, feinherb
2017 Weingut Dr. Lindicke, Werderaner Wachtelberg, Rosé, trocken
2016 Weingut Dr. Lindicke, Werderaner Wachtelberg, Regent, im Holzfass gereift
Lunch in Wittenberg
Following the visit of Weingut Dr. Lindicke we drove to Wittenberg for lunch. After lunch we had time to do a little bit of sightseeing. Wittenberg is closely associated with the Protestant Reformation. It was here where Martin Luther hammered the 90 theses at the door of the castle church.
Postings: Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken (Published and Forthcoming)
Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at the Königlicher Weinberg Klausberg in Sanssouci, Potsdam - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Dr. Lindicke in Werder an der Havel, Brandenburg, with Katharina Lindicke
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Born in Salzatal, Saale-Unstrut, with Elisabeth Born - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting Lunch at Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Matthias Hey – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Wine Pairing Dinner at Restaurant Zufriedenheit in Naumburg, with Chef Robert Klaus and his Excellent Food, and Uwe Lützkendorf, Weingut Lützkendorf, and his World-class Wines - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Tasting at Weingut Uwe Lützkendorf, with Uwe Lützkendorf, in Bad Kösen, Saale-Unstrut– Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in the Saale Unstrut Region, Germany
Visit and tasting at Landesweingut Kloster Pforta in Bad Kösen, Saale-Unstrut, with Managing Director Björn Probst
Weingut Kloster Pforta: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Managing Director Christian Kloss – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Wine and Music:"Martin Luther Lunch" at the Historic Vincenz Richter Restaurant, Weingut Vincenz Richter, in Meissen with Senior Boss Gottfried Herrlich and the Music of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schuh in Coswig, Sachsen, with Katharina Pollmer-Schuh and Matthias Schuh - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Tour and Dinner at Weingut Schloss Proschwitz - Prinz zur Lippe in Zadel, Sachsen, with Georg Prinz zur Lippe - Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit and Tasting at the Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul, Sachsen - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Wine and Opera in Dresden: Mozart at Semper Opera and the Best Wines of Sachsen at Wine Bar Weinzentrale in Dresden-Neustadt, with Owner/ Sommelier Jens Pietzonka – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Aldinger in Fellbach (Stuttgart), with Matthias Aldinger - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Karl Haidle in Kernen-Stetten, Württemberg, with Moritz Haidle - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Tour and Cellar Tour at Weingut Graf Adelmann, Burg Schaubeck, in Steinheim-Kleinbottwar, Württemberg, with Felix Count Adelmann - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Dinner with Felix Graf Adelmann, Weingut Graf Adelmann, at Burg Schaubeck in Kleinbottwar, Württemberg - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Zehnthof Luckert, in Sulzfeld, Franken, with Philipp Luckert - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Staatlicher Hofkeller in Würzburg, Franken, with General Manager Marcel von den Benken– Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Visit and Tasting at Weingut Am Stein Ludwig Knoll in Würzburg, Franken - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Wine Pairing Dinner at 1 Michelin Star Restaurant Reisers am Stein and Tasting and Tour at Weingut am Stein Ludwig Knoll, with Winemaker Franziska Schömig - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Rudolf Fürst in Bürgstadt, Franken, with Sebastian Fürst
Tasting and Tour with the Pinot Noir Legend Paul Fürst, Weingut Rudolf Fürst in Bürgstadt, Franken– Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Visit and Tasting at Weingut Benedikt Baltes in Klingenberg, Franken: The Wines of Weingut Benedikt Baltes and of Weingut Julia Bertram - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
Schiller’s Favorites: 2 Legendary Wine Taverns in Würzburg – Juliusspital and Bürgerspital
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Würzburg