Kloster Eberbach, one of Europe's best-preserved and important medieval monasteries, lies in a valley near the town of Eltville in the Rheingau. Still a world-class winery today, the Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian abbey on the eastern bank of the Rhine river. Its Romanesque and Gothic buildings are very impressive.
Kloster Eberbach was our base for 2 nights during the Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling.
We
- stayed 2 nights at the Hotel Kloster Eberbach,
- had dinner one evening at Kloster Eberbach Restaurant,
- did and in-depth tour of the Abbey, including a visit of the lay brother’s dormitory where every year the famous auction of premium German wines takes place, -
- visited briefly the new winemaking facilities of Kloster Eberbach and
- toured the famous Steinberg vineyard, where we also had a glass of wine at the Schwarzes Häuschen in the Steinberg vineyard of Kloster Eberbach.
Hotel Kloster Eberbach
Hotel Kloster Eberbach is a 3 superior star guesthouse in a part of a former monastery that dates back to the 16th century. This building served formerly as a mill and barn. In the course of the careful modernization of the hotel emphasis was placed upon maintaining its traditional monastic elements. The comfortably furnished double rooms offer a peaceful sleep, just as one expects it would have been like for centuries within the monastery walls.
Dinner at Kloster Eberbach in the Klosterschänke
One night we had a winemaker dinner with Urban Kaufmann and Eva Raps at Weingut Kaufmann in nearby Hattenheim and one night we had dinner at the Klosterschänke of Kloster Eberbach.
Guided Tour of Kloster Eberbach
The Cistercian monk Bernard of Clairvaux from Burgundy founded the winery when he establishing the Abbey. In medieval times Eberbach Abbey was the largest winery in all of Europe with 750 acres of vineyards. Today Eberbach Abbey is one of the five State-owned wineries (the State of Hesse is its proprietor) and with 500 acres the largest winery in Germany. The estate’s holdings in highly esteemed vineyards in the Hessische Bergstrasse and the Rheingau wine region are unparalleled.
Vinothek Kloster Eberbach
Kloster Eberbach has a nice tasting room, where some of us bought some wine.
New Winemaking Facilities: Steinbergkeller
Following the tour of Kloster Eberbach, we drove a mile to the new winemaking facility of Kloster Eberbach, the Steinbergkeller, and visited the famous Steinberg Vineyard.
The Steinbergkeller is the new and central winemaking facility of the Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach. The total vineyard area of the Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbachcomes to more than 200 hectares, of which 85% are planted with Riesling, 10% with Pinot Noir and 5% with other varieties. Owner is the Land Hessen. It is located just next to the Steinberg Vineyard.
Aperitif at the Schwarzes Häuschen in the Steinberg Vineyard of Kloster Eberbach
The Steinberg is a 32.4 hectares (80 acres) wall-enclosed vineyard in walking distance of the Eberbach Abbey in the Rheingau. It is one of the most famous German vineyards.
The favorite site of the monks, they built a 4 meter (13ft) wall around the vineyard to keep out thieves. This and its Cistercian heritage give Steinberg a distinct similarity to the famed Clos De Vougeot in Bourgogne in neigbouring France. The name Steinberg is German for "stony hill" after Stein = stone and Berg = mountain or hill.
The Steinberg is one of handful single vineyard sites in Germany which for reasons of historical significance have dispensation from having to include a village name together with the vineyard's name, so the wines from the Steinberg are simply labelled Steinberger.
The Schwarzes Häuschen is a little booth with benches and tables right in the middle of the Steinberg Vineyard where you can buy wine from the Steinberg and little snacks during the season. We spent about an hour there.
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