Rheingau meets California: Tasting at the Lay Dormitory of the Eberbach Monastery, Rheingau, Germany, with 34 VDP Member Estates of the Rheingau and 38 Producers from California

As part of the 27th Rheingau Gourmet & Wein Festival, the 34 members of the VDP/ Rheingau presented their wines at the Eberbach Monastery. They welcomed 38 producers from California as their guests. The tasting took place in the impressive lay dormitory.

Kloster Eberbach, one of Europe's best-preserved and important medieval monasteries, lies in a valley near the town of Eltville in the Rheingau. Still a world-class winery today, the Eberbach Monastery is a former Cistercian monastery, founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian abbey on the eastern bank of the Rhine river. Its Romanesque and Gothic buildings are very impressive.

In medieval times Eberbach Abbey was the largest winery in all of Europe with 750 acres of vineyards. Today Eberbach Abbey is one of the five State-owned wineries (the State of Hesse is its proprietor) and with 500 acres the largest winery in Germany.  

See: Kloster Eberbach: Overnight-Stay, Dinner, Tour and Aperitif in the Steinberg Vineyard - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

As to the guests from California, Claudia Schug presented the wines of Schug Estate Winery in Sonoma, founded by her father, Walter Schug, who was born and grew up in Assmannshausen in the Rheingau in Germany. He also received his formal training as winemaker in Germany.

See: 

Lunch with Pinot Noir Giant Walter Schug in Sonoma, California 

California Pinot Noir Pioneer Walter Schug: From the Rheingau in Germany to Carneros in California

Visiting Walter Schug and his Schug Carneros Estate Winery in Carneros, California 

Arriving at the Eberbach Monastery

Tasting in the Lay Dormitory

Rheingau Producers

Wein- und Sektgut Barth - Mark Barth

Weingut August Eser - Désirée Eser Freifrau zu Knyphausen

Weingut Joachim Flick - Joachim Flick

Weingut Kaufmann - Urban Kaufmann

Weingut Toni Jost - Cecilia Jost

Wein- und Sektgut F.B. Schönleber - Ralf Schönleber

Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn - Peter Jacob Kühn and Angela Kühn

Weingut Georg Müller Stiftung - Tim Lilienström and Peter Winter

Weingut Spreitzer -Andreas Spreitzer

 

California Producers

Au Bon Climat - K&U Die Weinhalle - Martin Kössler

De Loach Vineyards - Frische Paradies - Christine Scharrer

Schug Winery - Claudia Schug

Bye-bye

Steinberg Vineyard