For more than 30 years, the Rheingau Wine Festival, which was once initiated by the winegrowers of the Rheingau Region as an promotional event, has turned the centre of Wiesbaden into the "longest wine bar in the world" - and represents an attraction for more than ten thousand visitors. At about 100 stands, winegrowers present their wines and bubbly sparkling wines in the second half of August for about 10 days. To go with the special flavours of the Rheingau Riesling wines, culinary delicacies may be purchased at the Wiesbaden Schlossplatz, at the Dern’sches Gelände and on the square in front of the "Market Church - Marktkirche". Moreover, music bands and other show acts provide entertainment on a number of stages and make this Wiesbaden street festival unforgettable.
This year, I had the pleasure to enjoy the wines from the Rheingau with my granddaughter Johanna and her mother and my daughter Dorothea Ottesen, along with my wife Annette Schiller and our friend Andre Jacoby.
The Rheingau
It is remarkable: For its entire length of nearly 560 miles, the Rhine flows north with one exception – a 28-mile stretch where the river changes its course. Here, it flows to the west, thereby enabling both the river and the vineyards facing it to bask in the warmth of the sun all day long. This is the Rheingau, one of the medium-size German wine regions. It is a quietly beautiful region, rich in tradition. Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for Hochheim's wines contributed to their popularity in England, where they, and ultimately, Rhine wines in general, were referred to as Hock.
The third President of the USA - and notable bon viveur - Thomas Jefferson visited the Rheingau in 1788 and wrote that the wine of the "Abbaye of Johnsberg is the best made on the Rhine without comparison … That of the year 1775 is the best." He also referred to the Rheingau’s Riesling as the "small and delicate Rhysslin which grows only from Hochheim to Rudesheim". Impressed by the quality of the Rheingau Riesling wines, he bought 100 grapevines to take back to his estate in Virginia.
See:
The Wines of Franz Kuenstler from Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Wine and Culture Tour to Germany Coming up in August 2013
Although the Rheingau is one of Germany’s smaller wine-growing regions, its 3,100 ha (7,660 acres) of vineyards are vastly diverse in their geological makeup. The soil varies from stony slate at the western part near the villages of Assmannshausen and Rudesheim to loess, sand and marl in the lower central villages of Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and Hattenheim. Soil reverts to stony phyllite in the higher central and eastern villages of Hallgarten, Kiedrich and Hochheim. Generally, wines from the lower slopes where the soil is heavier—sandy loam and loess—produce fuller wines, while at the higher slopes where it is more stony and slatey, the wines reflect more minerality, elegance and concentration.
See:
Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with an Erstes Gewaechs Wine
The Rheingau enjoys a distinctly continental climate with cold winters and warm, but not hot, summers. The Rheingau is dominated by Riesling, accounting for 4/5 of the vineyard area. Pinot Noir accounts for 1/10 and is concentrated around Assmannshausen.
Erstes Gewaechs and Grosses Gewaechs Wines
An ultra-premium German dry wine can be labeled differently, depending on who has made the wine. Basically, you have to distinguish between 6 groups of winemakers and thus labelings: (1) The VDP non-Rheingau winemakers, (2) the VDP Rheingau winemakers, (3) the Rheingau non-VDP winemakers, (4) the zero classification winemakers, (5) the own classification winemakers and (6) all other winemakers.
See:
A Combination of Extraordinary Wine and Art: Peter Winter's Georg Mueller Stiftung Estate in Germany
Rheingau: Erstes Gewaechs
The Rheingau introduced a few years ago the concept of Erste Lage. These are the best vineyards in the Rheingau. Any Rheingau winemaker, who owns an Erste Lage vineyard and who makes a top dry wine that passes the test of various regulations can name this wine an Erstes Gewaechs. Thus: Erstes Gewaechs wines are top dry wines from top vineyards (Erste Lage) in the Rheingau.
See:
Lighting and the Flavor of Wine - With Winemaker Ulrich Allendorf in his Aroma Vineyard and Color Room at Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich Winkel, Rheingau, Germany
VDP.Grosses Gewaechs
Then came the VDP - the association of German elite winemakers - into the game and introduced the concept of Grosses Gewaechs. A Grosses Gewaechs is a top dry wine from the very best vineyards of the VDP members, which had been named Erste Lage until recently and, starting with the 2012 vintage, have been named Grosse Lage. Note, that for some legal reasons, the VDP has started to use the suffix VDP.
See:
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Rheingau: VDP.Grosses Gewaechs and Erstes Gewaechs
Until recently, the VDP winemakers in the Rheingau did not go along with their VDP colleagues in other regions, but they went along with their non-VDP colleagues in the Rheingau: They called their best dry wines Erstes Gewaechs. Thus, until recently, the top dry wines of VDP members in the Rheingau were called Erstes Gewaeachs, while the rest of the VDP members in the other wine regions called their top dry wines Grosses Gewaechs.
See also:
Weingut Chat Sauvage – Bourgogne in the Middle of the Rheingau: Meeting Chat Sauvage’s Winemaker and General Manager Michael Staedter, Germany
This changed with the 2012 vintage. The VDP winemakers from the Rheingau switched fronts and decided to call their best dry wines Grosses Gewaechs. So, there is now uniformity on the VDP front.
But as a consequence, there is no longer uniformity in the Rheingau: There are now two denominations for the top dry wines in the Rheingau - VDP.Grosses Gewaechs (VDP members) and Erstes Gewaechs (non-VDP members). Roughly 90% of the top dry wines in the Rheingau are VDP.Grosses Gewaechs and 10% Erstes Gewaechs.
schiller-wine - Related Postings
“Hoffest” (Winery Party) at Weingut Heinrich Baison in Hochheim, Rheingau - Best of Riesling 2010 Award Winner
Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
Christian G.E. Schiller Leads Tasting of US-American Wines in Hochheim, Germany
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
VDP.Grosses Gewaechs, Erstes Gewaechs, Spaetlese/Auslese Trocken, … Labeling Dry Ultra-Premium Wines in Germany
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions. I Have Counted Five.
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Video: How to Pronounce German Wine - Simon Woods' Enhanced Version
Germany's VDP Wine Estates Celebrate 100th Anniversary in Berlin
The VDP - the Powerful Group of German Elite Winemakers - Refines its Classification System, Germany
The Karthäuserhof in the Mosel Valley: An Eventful History – From Grenoble in France to New York City in the US
Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans
1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany
The Wines of Franz Kuenstler from Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Wine and Culture Tour to Germany Coming up in August 2013
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
Barth Primus is Germany’s First Sekt Made with an Erstes Gewaechs Wine
A Combination of Extraordinary Wine and Art: Peter Winter's Georg Mueller Stiftung Estate in Germany
Lighting and the Flavor of Wine - With Winemaker Ulrich Allendorf in his Aroma Vineyard and Color Room at Weingut Allendorf in Oestrich Winkel, Rheingau, Germany
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany
Weingut Chat Sauvage – Bourgogne in the Middle of the Rheingau: Meeting Chat Sauvage’s Winemaker and General Manager Michael Staedter, Germany