Weingut Hey, a German winery that is even in Germany relatively unknown, joined the VDP, the association of about 200 German elite winemakers earlier this year. It is relativey unknown in Germany for several reasons: because it is a young winery, it is a small producer and it is based in the Saale-Unstrut region in the Eastern part of Germany, the wines of which you rarely find in stores or restaurants outside of the Eastern part of Germany.
That Weingut Hey joined the VDP does not mean that Matthias Hey applied and was accepted. No, it is the other way around. The VDP looks around for potential candidates that might meet the high quality standards of the VDP and might fit into the association. There are many young and ambitious winemakers in Germany who hope to get a phone call from the President of the VDP inviting them to participate in the VDP selection process. And many indeed get such a phone call. But very few also get a second call from the President telling them that they had been accepted by the VDP. Matthis Hey is one of those few. Congratulations.
The VDP
The VDP is the world’s oldest association of wine estates in the world. In fact, it is the only one of its kind worldwide. No other country has a national organization of the top wine makers of the entire country.
In 1910, four regional wine-growers’ associations joined forces to form the Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer (i.e. estates that sold their “natural” [unchaptalized] wines at auction). These organizations – from the Rheingau and Rheinhessen, founded in 1897 and 1900, respectively, and their counterparts in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and Pfalz regions, both founded in 1908 – were the forerunners of today’s VDP. At this time, fine German wines enjoyed a heyday. They were among the most expensive wines, on the tables of imperial houses as well as leading hotels and restaurants.
Throughout the past century, the quality-driven goals and strict standards of the VDP have played no small part in shaping the viticultural and winemaking practices in Germany. With their stringent statutes and their establishment of a German vineyard classification, the 200 members of the VDP have served as role models and justifiably can be viewed as the vanguard of the nation’s producers of top-quality wines.
For more on the new VDP Classification, see:
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
German Wine Basics: Grosse Lage and Grosslage (and Grosses Gewaechs)
VDP.Grosses Gewaechs, Erstes Gewaechs, Spaetlese/Auslese Trocken, … Labeling Dry Ultra-Premium Wines in Germany
The VDP - the Powerful Group of German Elite Winemakers - Refines its Classification System, Germany
Weingut Hey
It all started in 2001, well after German reunification when Sigrun and Reinhard Hey bought a once exquisite vineyard in the steep slope site “Naumburger Steinmeister” including the farmhouse at the foot of the vineyard. With dedication the totally overgrown vineyard was reclaimed by removing blackberry bushes that had almost suffocated 80 year old vines, rebuilding the terraces, and planting new vines.
Today, Weingut Hey is at 5 hectares in the Naumburger Steinmeister and Naumburger Sonneck vineyards.
Son Matthias, who graduated from the enological university in Geisenheim in 2008, is now at the helm and puts the emphasis on top quality and the uniqueness of the region.
Weingut Hey is also member of the “Breitengrad 51”, an association of young winemakers of the Saale-Unstrut region. Their aim is to produce Saale-Unstrut Rieslings of world-class quality and to put the region on the map as top wine producing cultural heritage destination.
Grape varieties: Müller-Thurgau, Gutedel, Silvaner, Weißburgunder, Riesling, Blauer Zweigelt, Spätburgunder, Portugieser.
Annette Schiller and I have visited Matthias Hey twice on an ombiasy WineTours tour. These are tours that cover Germany's wine regionen in the former GDR, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen, as well as Franken and Württemberg. The East Tours are the strongest of the 3 tours - North, South and East - when it comes to culture. The tour starts in Berlin and typically includes a visit of the Semper Opera in Dresden, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the Opera House in Stuttgart.
The second visit of Weingut Heil was last year. See: Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken
The first one was in 2016: See: Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting Lunch at Weingut Hey in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Matthias Hey – Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours
Weingut Hey Portfolio (As of March 2018)
Gutsweine
Unsere fruchtbetonten Basisweine versprechen frischen und unkomplizierten Trinkspaß. Mit moderaten Alkoholgehalt und animierenden Trinkfluss sind sie der ideale Einstieg in unsere Kollektion.
2018 ‹Allerhand›Cuvée der ‹Breitengrad 51›-Winzertrocken, 0,75l, €8,50
2018 Gutedel trocken, 0,75l, €8,90
2018 Müller-Thurgau feinherb, 0,75l, €8,90
2018 Rosé feinherb, 0,75l, €8,90
2018 Weißburgunder trocken, 0,75l, €8,90
Ortsweine
Würzig und mineralisch spiegeln unsere Terroirweine auf eindrucksvolle Weise die Aromenvielfalt der gebietstypischen Muschelkalk- und Buntsandsteinböden wider.
2018 Riesling Buntsandstein trocken, 0,75l, €12,90
2018 Riesling Muschelkalk trocken, 0,75l, €12,90
2018 Weißburgunder trocken, 0,75l, €12,90
2017 ‹Weißer Hey›Silvaner, Riesling und Weißburgunder trocken, 12,5 % vol., 0,75l, €12,90
2018 ‹Weißer Hey›Silvaner und Riesling trocken, 12,5 % vol., 0,75l, €12,90
2015 Spätburgundertrocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €12,90
Lagenweine
Unsere Spitzenweine der Lage ‹Naumburger Steinmeister› sind elegante Charakterweine mit Tiefgang und kraftvoller Aromatik.
2016 Blauer Zweigelt trocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €18,00
2017 Grau- & Weißburgunder trocken, 13 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €21,00
2017 Riesling Spätlese feinherb, 12,5 % vol., 0,75l, €16,00
2017 Riesling Auslese ‹104°› fruchtsüß, 9,5 % vol., 0,75l, €24,00
2017 Riesling Auslese ‹114°› fruchtsüß, 8,5 % vol., 0,5l, €24,00
2017 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese fruchtsüß, 9,5 % vol., 0,5l, €62,00
2017 Weißburgunder trocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €21,00
Breitengrad 51
Nur ganz besondere Weine werden mit dem Prädikat ‹Breitengrad 51› ausgezeichnet. Mit ihrem kraftvoll-trockenen Charakter bilden sie die Spitze unserer Qualitätshierarchie.
2017 Riesling ‹Breitengrad 51› trocken, 13,5 % vol., 0,75l, Barrique €24,00
In 2016, after the visit of Weingut Hey, I wrote on schiller-wine:
"The stars of the Saale-Unstrut Wine Region are Weingut Lützkendorf and Weingut Pawis, both members of the VDP, the association of about 200 elite winemakers. Closely behind them is a group of up-and-coming winemakers. One of them, perhaps the one which is most likely to be the next member of the VDP in the Saale-Unstrut Region, is Weingut Hey." Here we go.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Announcement: ombiasy WineTours in 2019 - Germany-North and Bordeaux
Ombiasy Wine Tours 2018: 3 x France and 3 x Germany - Ombiasy Newsletter December 2017
UPCOMING Tours/ Wine Dinners/ Tastings - Annette and Christian Schiller/ ombiasyPR & WineTours/ schiller-wine, Germany, France, USA (Issued: March 1, 2019)
Steffen Christmann (Weingut A. Christmann) and Wilhelm Weil (Weingut Robert Weil) Presented the New Wine Classification of the VDP, Germany
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
German Wine Basics: Grosse Lage and Grosslage (and Grosses Gewaechs)
VDP.Grosses Gewaechs, Erstes Gewaechs, Spaetlese/Auslese Trocken, … Labeling Dry Ultra-Premium Wines in Germany
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