Picture: Annette and Christian Schiller with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, and Chateau Ste. Michelle`s Head Winemaker Bob Bertheau at Pro-Wein in Düsseldorf
Wine & Spirits Magazine announced its list of Top 100 Wineries of 2021 a few weeks ago. According to Wine & Spirits Magazine, Wine & Spirits tastes thousands of wines through an exclusive blind tasting process and, from those tastings, the editors select the Top 100 Wineries of the year. From Burgundy in the center of France to Margaret River in Western Australia, these awards call out remarkable portfolios of wines.
This year`s list includes 4 producers from Germany.
Weingut Dr. Loosen, Mosel
Weingut Fritz Haag, Mosel
Weingut Dönnhoff, Nahe
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe
Weingut Dr. Loosen, Mosel
Situated on Germany’s Mosel River among some of the world’s most treasured vineyards, the Dr. Loosen estate has been in the same family for more than 200 years.
When Ernst Loosen assumed ownership in 1988, he realized that, with ungrafted vines averaging 60 years old in some of Germany’s top-rated vineyards, he had the raw materials to create stunningly intense, world-class Rieslings.
To achieve this, Ernst immediately changed the estate’s vineyard practices to dramatically reduce crop size. He stopped all chemical fertilization, preferring only moderate use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments.
He extended his commitment to sustainable practices beyond the vineyards and into the winery, implementing improvements in materials recycling, energy efficiency and water conservation.
At harvest, he insisted on fully mature fruit that had been very strictly selected. And he turned to gentler cellar practices that would allow the wine to develop its full potential with a minimum of technological meddling.
Today, Dr. Loosen wines are widely enjoyed around the globe and continue to receive awards and accolades from top reviewers.
Weingut Fritz Haag, Mosel
Loosen Bros. USA: The historic Fritz Haag wine estate is located in the heart of the central Mosel River Valley. The earliest documentation of the estate dates back to 1605. At that time, the village in which it is situated was known as “Dusemond.” In 1925, this village was renamed “Brauneberg” (“brown mountain,” a reference to the color of the slate soil in this area of the Mosel) in an endeavour to further promote the reputation of its world-renowned vineyards “Brauneberger Juffer” and “Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr.”
The name “Juffer,” which translates as “old maid” in the local dialect, goes back to 1790. The proprietor of these exceptional vineyards at the time, the aristocratic Kurpfälzische Kammerherr Wunderlich, had three daughters who all remained unmarried and lived the lives of spinsters. As a consequence, when they took over the vineyard management from their father, the name “Brauneberger Juffer” was born and the wines soon became famed throughout the wine world. The vineyards are recognised as true pearls of the Mosel region and were treasured even by Napoleon.
Pictures: Tasting and Vineyard Walk with Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag– Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
For many years, the Fritz Haag wine estate was successfully headed by the endlessly energetic Wilhelm Haag, and achieved under his guidance a world-renowned reputation. Wilhelm Haag was the first to be named Gault Millau’s “Winemaker of the Year,” a highly coveted accolade introduced in 1994. Since 2005, his son Oliver has taken over the reins and has followed his legendary father in leading the estate into the future.
The Fritz Haag estate owns 17.5 ha of vineyards which are all exclusively planted with Riesling. The excellent micro-climate and the deep slate soils of the Brauneberg hillside yield some of the most intensely flavored and elegantly-structured Riesling wines of the Mosel region. Oliver Haag rigorously selects the clones most suited to the microclimate of his vineyards in order to achieve the maximum potential in the grapes. His wines, which display a pleasing subtle color, show a well-defined palate that reaches from honeysuckle to pears and apples. They are laced with citrus and underlying mineral tones, reflecting the slate vineyards of Brauneberg.
The Fritz Haag estate produces wines that cover the full style spectrum, starting from a dry style and ranging to lusciously sweet. A mineral “slate” character and a pronounced and fruity acidity give the wines their sleek sophistication and their great aging potential. The estate’s graceful, well-refined Rieslings are rated as impressive examples of the finest wines the Mosel region has to offer.
Weingut Dönnhoff, Nahe
The Dönnhoff family first came to the Nahe Valley over 200 years ago. The Dönnhoffs were a mixed farm up until the 20th century, with cereal crops, vegetables, fruit and livestock in addition to grapes. Helmut's grandfather Hermann made the transition from mixed farm to focus entirely on winegrowing. Helmut Dönnhoff took over day-to-day responsibility from his father in 1971.
Pictures: Helmut Doennhoff Receiving the Ombiasy Group
From the initial 4 hectares of land Helmut Dönnhoff expanded the estate to now 25 hectares. Today, his son Cornelius works alongside in the winery; in fact, ownership and responsibility has been formally transferred to Cornelius Dönnhoff.
Pictures: An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany
“Most people in wine today make it for business”, Helmut Doennhoff said. “I make it for me, myself”. Helmut Doennhoff compared his winemaking with music and cooking. “There are many wonderful scores, but only a few people can interpret them well. Or it is like a chef: people have the same ingredients but each chef brings another taste to them”.
Helmut Dönnhoff was described by Hugh Johnson as having a "fanatical commitment to quality, and a remarkable natural talent for winemaking" and as a "superstar" of the region by Robert Parker. Helmut Doennhoff was named German Winemaker of the Year in 1999 by the Gault Millau WeinGuide.
80% of Dönnhoff's of vineyard holdings grow Riesling grapes, with the remaining 20% Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.
Pictures: Tasting with Helmut Doenhoff
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe“In our family, viniculture has been tradition since 1708 - a tradition that we have been cultivating in our vineyards as well as in our manor house which was built back in 1830” said Georg Rumpf. Stefan Rumpf, Georg’s father, brought Weingut Kruger-Rumpf up to where it is today: After completing his studies in agricultural sciences, including stints in Californian wineries, and conducting research at the Geisenheim research institute, Stefan Rumpf took over the estate from his parents in 1984. Up until then, the wines were sold almost entirely in bulk. Stefan Rumpf changed this and started to bottle his wines and to market the bottles himself. Less than 10 years later, in 1992, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf was invited to join the VDP, the about 200 German elite winemakers, a clear sign of what Stefan Rumpf had achieved over the course of just 8 years.
Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller in the Vineyard with Georg Rumpf during a previous Visit of Weingut Kruger-Rump. See: Wine Dinner with Tour at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Georg Rumpf – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Today, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf has 4 (of 5) grapes in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland. The vineyard area totals 22 hectares and the annual production is 14.000 cases. The top sites are: Münsterer Dautenpflänzer (slate with sandy loam); Münsterer Pittersberg (slate); Münsterer Rheinberg (weathered quartzite and sandy loam); Binger Scharlachberg Rheinhessen (Rotliegend and porphyry).
Grape varieties: 65% Riesling, 10% each of Silvaner and Weissburgunder, 5% each of Chardonnay, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. In fact, Kruger-Rumpf was the first estate in the Nahe region to plant Chardonnay.
Georg Rumpf has taken over the winemaking aspect of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, while his father is now more focusing on sales and general management.
Weingut Krueger-Rumpf sells 70% of its production in Germany and exports the remaining 30%. Accordingly, “80% of the wines we produce are dry wines” said Georg “and 20% are fruity-sweet and noble-sweet wines.”
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Tasting at Weingut Dr. Loosen in Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel, with Ernie Loosen - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling
Tasting and Vineyard Walk with Oliver Haag, Weingut Fritz Haag– Germany-North Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany
Wine Dinner with Tour at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Georg Rumpf – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Stefan and Georg Rumpf - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling