Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours took place from Monday, June 19, 2023 to Thursday, June 29, 2023.
We visited 3 wineries in Sachsen:
Weingut Martin Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen.
Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe (VDP) in Meissen.
Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul.
At Weingut Martin Schwarz, Philipp Henke was our host. He showed us the vineyards, the cellar and led a seated tasting.
Sachsen
Sachsen is Germany's easternmost and one of the smallest wine-growing
regions, with only 1250 acres, at 51 degrees north latitude.
Winegrowing has a tradition of over 800 years here. It was first
mentioned in 1161 and, in its heyday in the 17th century, covered an
area of 13,000 acres. As in the Saale-Unstrut region, quality wines can
be produced here due to a special climate pattern. Sufficient rain, a
continental climate, an average of 1,600 hours of sunshine, a constant
alternation of daytime warmth and nighttime
coolness create ideal
conditions for the growing and slow ripening of the grapes which ensures
the development of rich aromas and bouquet substances in the wines.
The
vineyards straddle the Elbe River. Main winegrowing areas are around
Meissen, Radebeul, and Dresden. The steep slopes are of weathered
granite and gneiss with a loess layer. 82% of the vineyards is planted
with white varieties, such as Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and
the unique Elbling, Gutedel, and Goldriesling, an autochthon variety
found only in Sachsen.
Weingut Martin Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen
Martin
Schwarz belongs to the group of ambitious winemakers in Sachsen. Back
in the day, when sipping a 1975 Château Margaux on a park bench while
skipping Latin classes at school, he got hooked onto the world of wine
and decided to make wine his profession. He interned at the VDP winery
Dr. Heger in Baden to gain first practical experience. In 1996 he
graduated from the famous Geisenheim enological University in the
Rheingau. A prominent winery in Sachsen was looking for a cellar master
and Martin took on that challenge. For 16 years he worked as winemaker
at the VDP winery Schloss Proschwitz before he started out on his own in
2013.
Today he owns 17 acres in one the best vineyards sites on
the steep slopes of the Elbe River. His wines show a very individual
character and convince with their complexity and finesse. In 2022 he
became
member of the VDP.
Dresden Is The New Unlikely Place for Fine Barolo Wine (Newsweek, 2015)
The last time, we visited Weingut Martin Schwarz, an article in the weekly Newsweek about Weingut Martin Schwartz with the "Dresden is the New Unlikely Place for Barolo Wine" had received a lot of attention in the international wine scene. We also met Martin Schwarz during the visit by ombiasy WineTours.
Newsweek by Elisabeth Braw 4/17/15:
Martin Schwarz has only 30 bottles left of his new wine. Despite their
heftprice y €50 tag, 70 have already been snapped up since the batch
went on sale a few months ago. That may be because it’s the first-ever
barolo grown in the East German state of Saxony. “Saxonian barolo” is
what Schwarz jokingly labels his pioneering creation, made of
Piedmontese nebbiolo grapes, since barolo itself is a Piedmontese
trademark.
Pictures: Meeting Martin Schwarz
But the grapes are the same. Until recently, nebbiolo grapes grew only
in regions like Piedmont in northern Italy. Saxony, bordering Poland and
the Czech Republic, is Germany’s smallest wine region, and for eight
centuries vintners here have mostly planted Müller-Thurgau and riesling,
earning a well-deserved reputation for excellent dry whites. But with
climate change pushing temperatures up, Schwarz decided to try out the
red Italian nebbiolo grape here in Radebeul outside Dresden.
“The mountain slopes here hadn’t been used for grape-growing for a very
long time, but I realised that the sunnier side would be perfect for
nebbiolo,” explains the 52-year-old. He could not have asked for a more
picturesque laboratory: his newly planted slopes below the palace
Neufriedstein overlook Radebeul’s charming medieval city centre of small
shops and neatly paved streets.
Though Radebeulers refer to their city as the Nice of Saxony, because of
its mild climate and stunning scenery, planting Italian grapes this far
north was a risky venture. Temperatures may not reach quite the levels
common on the south side of the Alps, and climate change may also bring a
risk in the form of floods.
“I must say I was surprised the grapes ripened,” Schwarz recalls of his
first harvest, in 2012. One year later, he filled his first batch of
bottles – the 100 now on sale – and from last year’s harvest 100 litres
are now maturing in his cellar.
Vintners in the traditional German wine-growing regions of
Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg are also beginning to
experiment with southern European grapes. According to figures from the
German Wine Institute, planting of cabernet franc – a traditional
Bordeaux grape – more than doubled between 2010 and 2013. Trade journal
Wine Economics and Policy says climate change is causing monumental
changes in wine production, with premium wine production moving north.
“What we’re doing now here in the north would not have been possible 20
years ago,” reflects Schwarz. “For vintners in Germany, climate change
is a good thing. But I do feel for vintners in southern Europe. They can
keep planting their grapes, but they’ll get a wine with higher alcohol
content.”
Indeed, according to Wine Economics and Policy, Europe’s centuries-old
viticulture will undergo an enormous shake-up as entire regions along
the coast of Italy, Greece and France become unsuitable for wine-growing
altogether, while southern England turns into the new Champagne. A
generation from now, pinot noir lovers may well be drinking only the
finest Saxonian bottles.
Right now, Schwarz can’t think that far ahead, busy as he is with his
current grapes and bottles. “Saxonian barolo is lighter than barolo from
Piedmont, but you recognise the nebbiolo straight away,” he says. “It’s
a typical nebbiolo; it makes for a very elegant wine.”
Visit in 2023: Arriving
In the Vineyard
In the Cellar
Tasting
Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours (Released and Forthcoming Postings)
Announcement: Exciting ombiasy Wine Tours in 2023
ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North
Announcement: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023
Announcement: The
Wine, Concert, and History Tour - Germany-East 2023 by ombiasy WineTours
- Monday, June 19 - Thursday, June 29, 2023
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Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen, with Philipp Henke - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours
Wine and Music:"Martin Luther Lunch" at the Historic Vincenz Richter
Restaurant, Weingut Vincenz Richter, in Meissen with
Senior Boss Gottfried Herrlich and the Music of
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Lunch at Restaurant/ Weingut Vincenz Richter in Meissen
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Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen, with Björn Probst, Vineyard and Sales Manager
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Guided Private Tour of the Royal Palace in Dresden, Sachsen
Wine and Opera in Dresden:
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at Wine Bar Weinzentrale in Dresden-Neustadt, with
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Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi at Semperoper Dresden, Sachsen
Visit of the Deutsch-Deutsches Museum in Mödlareuth and Lunch at Turnhallen Gaststätte in Töpen, Bayern
Schiller’s Favorites: 2 Legendary Wine Taverns in Würzburg – Juliusspital and Bürgerspital
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Wine Dinner at Weinstuben Weingut Juliusspital in Würzburg, FrankenWalk in the Vineyard, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Rudolf May (VDP) in Retzstadt, Franken, with Rudolph and Benedikt May
Light Lunch at Restaurant Rose in Bretzfeld-Blitzfeld, with Owner/ Chef Willi Carle
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Cellar Tour and Tasting Weingut Schnaitmann (VDP) in Fellbach, Württemberg, with Rainer Schnaitmann
Light Lunch at Rotenberger Weingärtle in Stuttgart
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