Pictures: Christian Schiller with Stefan Ress and Fred Ellemann at WineLAIR Washington DC
Renowned winemaker Stefan Ress of Weingut Balthasar Ress in the Rheingau and WineBANK Rheingau was in town (Washington DC). I had the pleasure of enjoying a tasting of Weingut Baltasar Ress wines at WineLAIR Washington DC.
Stefan Ress is the senior boss of of Weingut Balthasar Ress in the Rheingau, a German elite estate. But Stefan Ress was not only in Washington DC as the senior boss of a renowned German winery but also as a representative of the European/ American WineBANK/ WineLAIR family.
A number of years ago, Stefan handed over to his son Christian Ress, now fifth-generation owner of Wheingut Balthasar Ress. Christian is one of those winemakers who also have a strong entrepreneurial mind. When he moved the winery from the old facilities in the center of Hattenheim, where Christian and Stefan Ress continue to live, to more modern facilities at the entrance of Hattenheim, he used some of the space that became idle to open the wineBANK Rheingau in 2009, a members-only lounge with wine storage facilities that is open 24 hours 7 days a week.
Over the following years, the wineBANK Rheingau expanded into a network of wineBANKS in Europe. The wineBANK Frankurt additionally has a wine bar which is open to the general public. There are now 8 wineBANKS in Europe.
A couple of years ago, Fred Ellemann from Washington DC and Texas, a long-time fan of Weingut Balthaar Ress wines and regular visitor of the Riesling Gala, an annual celebration of Riesling at Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingua, suggested to Christian to expand the wineBANK family to the USA. The first American wineBANK, called wineLAIR in the USA, opened in 2019 in Washington DC during the covid-pandamic. It opened in a 5,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by an art gallery along the West End strip (1120 22nd Street NW) that counts the Ritz-Carlton as tenant.
As of now, it is the only WineLAIR in the USA, but Fred plans to expand the network of wineLAIRS in the USA rapidly over the coming years. His plan is to open 2 new WineLAIRS every year and he has hired Jonathan Krinn, formerly Clarity Restaurant in Vienna/ Virginia, to make his dream true.
Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller with Jonathan Krinn, previously Clarity, Vienna, Virginia, now wineLAIR Washington DC
I have been several times to the wineBANK Rheingau, including on a Germany wine tour by ombiasy WineTours. I am a regular guest of the wineBANK Frankfurt, when I am in Germany.
I have also met Fred Elleman several times over in Germany at the annual Riesling Gala at Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau.
Thera are now 9 wineBANK and wineLAIR clubs in the world with 2000plus members. As a member of one club, you have access to all wineBANK and wineLAIR clubs in the world.
Pictures: Stefan Ress of Weingut Balthasar Ress, Rheingau, Germany and WineBANK Rheingau at WineLAIR Washington DC
WineLair: An Elite European Wine Club Is Checking In Next to the West End Ritz-Carlton
WineLair will double as a members-only storage facility and wine bar
by Tierney Plumb Feb 7, 2019
Apparently some D.C. oenophiles have bottles so pricey or rare they feel uncomfortable keeping them at home. Luckily for them, a secure wine vault-slash-bar — complete with climate-control capabilities and insurance — is expected to land in D.C. soon.
WineLair, the American branch of the German-based WineBank, is sliding into a vacant 5,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by an art gallery along the West End strip (1120 22nd Street NW) that counts the Ritz-Carlton and Equinox as tenants. The business already has its liquor license approved and was originally expected to open by the end of 2018.
Along with a private members cellar and personal lockers for safekeeping, the wine cave will also house a bar and lounge open to the public. Along with wines available by the glass and the bottle, the menu is expected to feature meats, cheeses, breads, and light fare “brought in from neighboring restaurants,” according to the ABRA notice posted on the door. Ris, Rasika West End, Westend Bistro, and Upper West Side Cafe all sit nearby.
WineBank was started a decade ago by Christian Ress, the owner of Balthasar Ress vineyards in Germany. WineLair’s first U.S. location is expected to open in Austin, with D.C. trailing behind. Ron Wight, who ran the now-shuttered Uncorked Tasting Room and Wine Bar in Austin, is spearheading the U.S. expansion. Eater reached out to Wight for comment.
Along with invites to private tastings and events, U.S. club members are granted access to the brand’s nine locations across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Each site sports its own opulent style, so it’s unclear what D.C.’s inaugural location will look like.
Pictures: Christian and Annette Schiller at WineBANK Frankfurt
D.C. got another exclusive drinking club last year with the arrival of Scotts Restaurant & Bar’s adjoining whiskey den, accessed by members via a fingerprint scan.
WineLair’s membership prices are dictated by the size and location of the vaults inside, but a 35-bottle vault in Frankfort runs 99€ monthly ($112). Invoices tack on expenditures on food and drink throughout the month, much like a country club tab.
D.C.’s WineLair can hold 199 people and hopes to open daily at 8 a.m. and serve late until last call, according to the ABRA license.
Pictures: Annette Schiller, Christian Schiller and Stefan Ress in the wineBank in Hattenheim in 2013 during the: German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013. See: Tasting at Weingut Balthasar Ress, Hattenheim, Rheingau, with Stefan Ress, Germany
Weingut Balthasar Ress
Area under vine: 42 ha / 109 acres
Main grape varieties: Riesling, Spätburgunder
Bottles per year: 250,000
Stefan Ress: In 1870, the Balthasar Ress winery was founded in Hattenheim. What began with a butcher's shop and a restaurant quickly developed into a wine trade and a winery, which today is one of the leading businesses in the region and in the country. Today, almost 150 years after its foundation, the Balthasar Ress Winery is still completely owned by the Ress family. Stefan and Christian Ress are the fourth and fifth generation. Oliver Schmid, who joined the estate in 2014 as vineyard manager, has become operations manager in 2018 and is now in charge of the entire production, making - together with the support of winemaker Stephan Sänger - Balthasar Ress wines what they are today.
We are Rheingau winegrowers and our wines reflect what our soils, microclimate and philosophy can achieve. We produce native wine - the counter-design to the interchangeable mainstream. Wine with character and great potential. Since 2010, we have slowly and continuously incorporated "organic viticulture" for our vineyards. Every year, we have converted additional areas and in 2019, the entire company got certified. We work with nature and not against it and take the right time into account in everything we do.
The Ress family is an old, established family in Hattenheim. For generations, they were butchers, and the butcher shop "Metzgerei Ress" exists to this day. In 1870, Balthasar Ress, who was a butcher himself, founded the inn "Gasthof Ress" on Hattenheim's main street, thereby laying the cornerstone of a long tradition in the hotel and restaurant business as well as the wine estate and wine business.
Since then, Carl, Paul, Stefan and now Christian Ress have been at the helm of the Ress Empire. By the 1920s, a thriving wine business had developed. In 1947, Carl Ress founded "Balthasar Ress KG - Wine Estate Proprietor, Winery, Hotel Ress." After Paul Ress’ death in the early 1980s, the family's entire properties were redistributed. Stefan Ress' siblings received the properties in Rüdesheim; he remained the proprietor of Weingut Balthasar Ress.
In 1999, Stefan's son Christian Ress entered the business as the fifth generation of the founding family. He became General Manager in 2010. Since then, he has continued to expand the wine estate, which today comprises 42 hectares. Christian Ress has achieved considerable attention in the wine trade for innovative projects, such as planting Germany's most northerly vineyard on the island of Sylt, near the border with Denmark, in 2009 and opening the wineBANK in Hattenheim in 2009. 
Picture: Christian Schiller with Christian Ress in Berlin in 2010. See: Germany's Grosses Gewaechs Wines - Premiere 2010 in Berlin
The Wines Stefan Ress Poured
Stefan Ress presented 5 wines.
2015 Weingut Balthasar Ress Von Unserem Riesling trocken VDP.Gutswein
2017 Weingut Balthasar Ress Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland GG Grand Cru Riesling trocken VDP.Grosse Lage
2018 Weingut Balthasar Ress Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland GG Grand Cru Riesling trocken VDP.Grosse Lage
2018 Weingut Balthasar Ress RESSPEKT (made from Rüdesheimer Grand Cru vineyards) Riesling trocken VDP.Gutswein
2018 Weingut Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Riesling off-dry VDP.Ortswein
Pictures: Stefan Ress of Weingut Balthasar Ress, Rheingau, Germany and WineBANK Rheingau at WineLAIR Washington DC
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Christian Ress at RIS Restaurant in Washington DC: Wine Lair Washington DC and Weingut Balthasar Ress, USA/ Germany
Tasting at Weingut Balthasar Ress, Hattenheim, Rheingau, with Stefan Ress, Germany
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At Weingut Balthasar Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, during the 2015 Harvest with Winemaker Dirk Würtz, Germany