Pictures: Weingut Schloss Johannisberg and Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen
The World's Best Vineyards 2021 were announced at Schloss Johannisberg in Germany's Rheingau region. Two German wine estates made it onto the global list: Schloss Johannisberg itself and Weingut Dr. Loosen in the Mosel region.
Enthused customers are the most loyal
Steffen Schindler, this year’s partner from Wines of Germany commented ‘We’d like to thank the organisers and the masterminds behind these awards for raising awareness of wine tourism worldwide and in Germany, of course. Wine tourism has become a very important economic pillar for many of our wine estates, and we know that the most loyal customers are those that have come to our estates and our wine regions in person.’
- Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau region, Germany, (number 34)
- Weingut Dr. Loosen, Mosel region, Germany (number 46)
More information regarding the Top50 list: www.worldsbestvineyards.com
These are both outstandig producers and we have visited both of them on an ombiasy wine tour by Annette Schiller.
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.
Schloss Johannisberg
Wine making in the Schloss Johannisberg vineyards started long before the castle was build, during the reign of Charlemagne. The hill became known as Johannisberg (John's mountain) in the 1100s, when a Romanesque basilica in honor of John the Baptist was built on the hill. The Chateau that we see today was built in the 1700s by the Prince-Abbot of Fulda. In 1720 he planted Riesling vines, making it the oldest Riesling vineyard in the world.
See also:
Tour and Tasting at Schloss Johannisberg, Rheingau, with Christian Witte, Domaine Director – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
Pictures: Domäne Schloss Johannisberg and the Managing Director Stefan Doktor. See: Robert Weil, Schloss Johannisberg, Schloss Vollrads, Kloster Eberbach: Visit of 4 Iconic Rheingau Riesling Producers (III. International Riesling Symposium), Germany
For many centuries the estate was owned by the Prince-Abbot of Fulda, but changed hands several times during the Napoleonic wars and subsequent secularization. In 1816, Austrian Emperor Francis II, gave the estate to his Foreign Minister, Prince von Metternich, as a thank you for his successful negotiations in the reorganization of Europe during the “Congress of Vienna”. The last resident of the Metternich family at Schloss Johannisberg, Tatjana Princess von Metternich was a patron of the arts in the Rheingau and beyond and revived the castle to its former glory after the destructions during World War II. After her death in 2006, the Oetker family (yes, that's the one that produces baking helpers and puddings) bought the estate.
Pictures: Cellar Tour at Schloss Johannisberg with Stefan Doktor
The vineyard Schloss Johannisberg is also a single vineyard designation (Einzellage) in its own right. Like the Steinberg, it is one of a handful historic German vineyards which do not have to display a village name on the label. Thus, the vineyard designation on the label is Schloß Johannisberger. There are currently about 35 hectares of vineyard.
The Oetker family also owns the renowned Weingut G.H. von Mumm, also in Johannisberg. Weingut G.H. von Mumm is jointly managed with Weingut Schloss Johannisberg by Christian Witte and his team.
Weingut Schloss Johannisberg has been making wine for over 900 years. The winery is most noted for its claim to have "discovered" the Spätlese wine, late harvest wine. (This, however, is contested by the Hungarians; they claim that the late harvest was discovered in the Tokaji region.)
Long before printed labels were common practice, Schloss Johannisberg had its own system of distinguishing among its bottlings through the use of colored seals. Introduced by Fürst von Metternich in 1820 and in use to this day, the quality of a wine can be identified according to color.
Gelblack (yellow seal): QbA
Rotlack (red seal): Kabinett
Grünlack (green seal): Spätlese
Silberlack (silver seal): Großes Gewächs
Rosalack (pink seal): Auslese
Rosa-Goldlack (pink-gold seal): Beerenauslese
Goldlack (gold seal): Trockenbeerenauslese
Blaulack (blue seal): Eiswein
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