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 tenth 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
Rheinhessen: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Saale-Unstrut: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Sachsen: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
Württemberg: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023
In the Saale-Unstrut region, there are no producers with 5/5, 4.5/5 or 4/5 stars in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023. There is 1 producer with 3.5/5 and there are 4 producers with 3/5 stars.
Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, and I have met 4 of these 5 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.
(London Wine Competition)
The German wine region of Saale-Unstrut, located almost entirely within the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, is defined primarily by two rivers – the Saale and the Unstrut. It is also the northernmost of all of Germany’s wine regions, meaning that the most popular wines here are those that thrive in cooler climates.
In terms of white and red wines, white grape varietals account for nearly three-quarters (74%) of all wine production in Saale-Unstrut. The most popular white grape varietals include Müller-Thurgau (18.4%), Pinot Blanc (12.1%), Silvaner (8.3%) and Blauer Portugieser (6.7%). Popular red varietals include Dornfelder (7.3%).
Unlike in many of Germany’s other wine regions, Riesling wines do not account for the dominant share of wine production. According to the most recent available estimates, Riesling only accounts for 7.3% of all wines from this region.
Due to the cooler climate and shorter growing season, wines from Saale-Unstrut are known for their acidity, which many wine drinkers describe as refreshing. Many of the most popular vineyards are growing along the hill slopes of the river valleys.
Winemaking in Saale-Unstrut has existed since the 990s, when the Memleben Abbey was a famed producer of white wines. As in other areas of Germany, wine villages along the major river valleys sprung up in response to the demand for wines. Saale-Unstrut, though, has been largely overshadowed by other larger and more popular German wine regions, such as Mosel. In 1993, the Burgenlandkreis district within Saale-Unstrut opened a wine route for tourists to sample the wines of this northern German wine region.
Picture: Christian Schiller and Ina Paris. See: Weingut Klaus Boehme in Saale Unstrut in Germany
Picture: Winzerhof Gussek in the Saale Unstrut Region: Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour and Tasting with Owner and Winemaker André Gussek – Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
