The Vinum Weinguide Germany 2023 was released a few weeks ago, presenting Vinum's choice of Germany’s best 1 000 wine producers and reviewing more than 10 700 wines on 1118 pages.
5 out of 5 stars („world class“) were awarded to 18 estates. In addition, there are 31 estates with 4.5 stars, and 66 estates with 4 stars.
See here: Germany's 18 Top Winemakers (With 5/5 Stars) - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2023
This posting is the nineth in a series of postings that provide more details on individual wine regions.
Ahr: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Baden: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Franken: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Hessische Bergstrasse: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Mittelrhein: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Mosel: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Nahe: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Pfalz: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Rheingau: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
In the Rheingau region, there is 1 producer with 5/5 stars and there are 8 producers with 4.5/5 stars in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023.
Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, and I have met 5 of these 9 producers at various occasions over the past years, often at their estate during a Germany wine tour by ombiasy WineTours, which is owned and run by Annette Schiller and based in Washington DC, USA.
Rheingau
(London Wine Competition)
Rheingau is one of the 13 German wine-growing regions, notable primarily for its superior Riesling wines. Overall, Rheingau is the German wine-growing region that has the highest proportion of Riesling production (78.8%) as a percentage of all wine produced. Other wines play only a minimal role in the region’s wine culture, including Spatburgunder (12.2%) and Müller-Thurgau (1.6%).
In addition to being such a prominent Riesling producer, Rheingau is also known for being the birthplace of many German winemaking traditions and innovations. It is the home to famous winemakers such as Schloss Johannisberg, as well as the original site where the German form of the “noble rot” was discovered.
In terms of total area, Rheingau extends for a 50-kilometer stretch along the Rhine River. The region is officially located in the German state of Hesse. Despite the region’s prominence in German wine-making lore, Rheingau only accounts for less than 5% of all German vineyard acreage under cultivation. Vineyards are primarily located on the river’s right bank. Leading wine-producing villages of the Rheingau include Hochheim am Main, Walluf, Eltville, Rauenthal, Kiedrich, Hattenheim, Oestrich, Winkel, Johannisberg, and Rudesheim.
The history of winemaking in Rheingau extends back to the 900s and the reign of Charlemagne, who ordered vineyards to be planted in the region. Recently, there has been new evidence discovered of a winemaking tradition stretching all the way back to the Roman era. Given the long history of winemaking in Rheingau, it has acquired a special place in the overall tradition of German winemaking.
Visiting Rheingau Producers
Peter Jakob Kühn - 5/5 StarsPicture: Christian Schiller and Peter Jakob Kühn in Kiedrich, Rheingau, see: Extraordinary Views of the Rheingau Vineyards - A Spectecular Helicopter Flight over the Rheingau with Rheingau Winemakers, Germany
Picture: Annette Schiller with Peter Jakob Kühn in Berlin
Pictures: Kühn Peter Jakob, Oestrich (Rheingau) - One of the Bio-dynamic Stars in Germany: Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn in Östrich, Winkel– Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Georg Breuer - 4.5/5 Stars
Picture: Theresa Breuer and Christian Schiller in New York City. See: Schiller’s Favorites at the 2013 Riesling and Co Tasting in New York City, USA
Pictures: Lunch at the Weingut Schloss Johannisberg Gutsrestaurant - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling
Robert Weil - 4.5/5 Stars
Pictures: Kiedrich: Visit of the Basilica of Saint Valentine and of Weingut Robert Weil - Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
schiller-wine: Related Postings
ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North
Dinner at a Historic (Second Empire) Café-Brasserie in Lyon: Grand Café des Négociants - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Maison Guigal in Ampuis, Côte Rôtie, Northern Rhône: Cellar Tour, Tasting and Vineyard Tour - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Visit and Tasting at Domaine de Boisseyt in Chavany, Northern Rhône - Rhône Valley Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France
Tour and Tasting at Château Haut-Bailly, Graves, Appellation Pessac-Léognan, Grand Cru Classé, with Cellar Master Jean Christoph - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
How Does the Negociant System in Bordeaux Work? Tour and Tasting at Millésima - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Clos Puy Arnaud with Owner Thierry Valette, Appellation Côtes de Castillon - Bordeaux Tour 2022 by ombiasy WineTours, France
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Daniel Wagner at Weingut Wagner-Stempel (VDP) in Siefersheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Helmut Dönnhoff and Sascha Johannes Schömel at Weingut Dönnhoff (VDP) in Oberhausen, Nahe - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Weingut Jülg (VDP): Lunch in the Wine Tavern with Karin and Werner Jülg and Tasting in the Vineyard with Johannes Jülg - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference December 2021
All Sorts of Sparklers: How do the Bubbles get into that Bottle - Presentation by Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, at the 2021 American Wine Society National Conference in Atlantic City
Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists
2022 Holiday Party of the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter) at the Cosmos Club in Washington DC Downtown, USA/ Germany