The 2nd International Riesling Symposium took place on May 26 and 27, 2014, at Schloss Rheinhartshausen in the Rheingau. Riesling experts from around the world - top winemakers, representatives from the trade and restaurant sector, and journalists – gathered to celebrate, discuss and taste the arguably most noble white grape in the world - Riesling.
I have already provided an overview about the 2nd International Riesling Symposium event: The 2nd International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany and reported about particular events (see below).
As part of the Symposium, participants were invited to a Rheingau tour on the Sunday, May 25, 2014, with stops at Weingut Robert Weil, Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach and Weingut Schloss Johannisberg. We were received by the owners/managing directors Wilhelm Weil, Dieter Greiner (Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach) and Christian Witte (Weingut Schloss Johannisberg).
The Rheingau
It is remarkable: For its entire length of nearly 560 miles, the Rhine flows north with one exception – a 28-mile stretch where the river changes its course. Here, it flows to the west, thereby enabling both the river and the vineyards facing it to bask in the warmth of the sun all day long. This is the Rheingau, one of the medium-size German wine regions. It is a quietly beautiful region, rich in tradition. Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for Hochheim's wines contributed to their popularity in England, where they, and ultimately, Rhine wines in general, were referred to as Hock.
The third President of the USA - and notable bon viveur - Thomas Jefferson visited the Rheingau in 1788 and wrote that the wine of the "Abbaye of Johnsberg is the best made on the Rhine without comparison … That of the year 1775 is the best." He also referred to the Rheingau’s Riesling as the "small and delicate Rhysslin which grows only from Hochheim to Rudesheim". Impressed by the quality of the Rheingau Riesling wines, he bought 100 grapevines to take back to his estate in Virginia.
Picture: The Rheingau
Although the Rheingau is one of Germany’s smaller wine-growing regions, its 3,100 ha (7,660 acres) of vineyards are vastly diverse in their geological makeup. The soil varies from stony slate at the western part near the villages of Assmannshausen and Rudesheim to loess, sand and marl in the lower central villages of Geisenheim, Johannisberg, Winkel, Oestrich and Hattenheim. Soil reverts to stony phyllite in the higher central and eastern villages of Hallgarten, Kiedrich and Hochheim. Generally, wines from the lower slopes where the soil is heavier—sandy loam and loess—produce fuller wines, while at the higher slopes where it is more stony and slatey, the wines reflect more minerality, elegance and concentration.
The Rheingau enjoys a distinctly continental climate with cold winters and warm, but not hot, summers. The Rheingau is dominated by Riesling, accounting for 4/5 of the vineyard area. Pinot Noir accounts for 1/10 and is concentrated around Assmannshausen.
Weingut Robert Weil
We met at 2 pm at Weingut Robert Weil for a flying lunch and cellar. We were a group of about 50 people.
Founded in 1875, Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich is the Rheingau’s #1 estate and one of Germany’s best. Four generations and over a century ago Dr. Robert Weil, who was a Professor of German at the Sorbonne, was forced to leave Paris because of the Franco-Prussian War (1870/1871). He subsequently joined his brother August in Kiedrich in the Rheingau and established the Robert Weil winery.
Dr. Robert Weil purchased his first vineyards in Kiedrich and moved there in 1875, when he bought the estate manor from the heirs of Sir John Sutton, an English baronet. A man of vision, he built up the estate by purchasing 2 local wine estates and the vineyards of Count von Fürstenberg. Contacts throughout the world and the production of great wines brought rapid growth to the Weingut Robert Weil.
Today, Weingut Robert Weil is managed by Wilhelm Weil, who owns the winery jointly with Suntory from Japan. With 75 hectares under vine, it is one of the largest estates in the Rheingau. The historical manor house, the ultra-modern cellars and the vinothek stand side by side in a beautiful park – the same synthesis of old and new that is reflected in the estate’s philosophy of winemaking.
The vineyards are planted 100% with Riesling. The estate’s dedication to Riesling since 1875 has led numerous observers of the international wine world to regard Weingut Robert Weil as a worldwide symbol of German Riesling culture. A Riesling wine of the 1893 vintage, grown on the Gräfenberg site, made the estate famous. The imperial Habsburg court in Vienna purchased 800 bottles of this wine at a price of 16 gold Marks per bottle in 1900. The 1920 vintage of the Kiedricher Gräfenberg Trockenbeerenauslese is described as a Zeppelin wine, as it was served on board the LZ 127 „Graf Zeppelin” dirigible on its circumnavigation of the world in 1929. Robert Weil’s top botrytis wines are sold today at extremely high prices - they are among the most expensive in the world. The current world record (in 2006) is held by a 1999 Weil Trockenbeerenauslese, at DM 5.000 (EUR 2500).
Weingut Robert Weil’s top vineyards all belong to the group of the highlying sites of the Rheingau: Kiedricher Klosterberg, Kiedricher Turmberg and Kiedricher Gräfenberg. Inclination (up to 60 %), exposure (southwest) and the ability of the barren stony soils to absorb heat are the factors that make for three perfect Riesling sites. These conditions, as well as ideal circulation, enable the grapes to remain on the vine for a long time, ripening well into November.
See also:
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany
Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach
Next stop was Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach, just a few minutes away from Weingut Robert Weil by bus. There, we toured the famous Steinberger vineyard, the new winery and the old Eberbach Abbey, where we had wines from 1943 and 1953. Managing Director Dieter Greiner was our host.
The State of Hessen owns a large number of vineyards, which all come under the umbrella of the Hessische Staatsweingueter Kloster Eberbach. It is Germany’s largest Wine Estate.
Most of the vineyard holdings of the Hessische Staatsweingueter date back to the 12th centuries, when Cistercian monks founded the famous Kloster Eberbach abbey here. The Abbey, including its vineyards, was secularised under Napoleon in 1803. The new owner was the Duke of Nassau, then the Prussian Kingdom from 1866, and finally the Federal State of Hessen since 1945.
The Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach is made up of 7 estates, including 3 wine producing facilities and cellars. The total vineyard area of the 7 estates comes to 247 hectares, of which 85% are planted with Riesling, 10% with Pinot Noir and 5% with other varieties.
See also:
The Role of Government - Government Owned Wineries in Germany
Steinberg
The Steinberg is a 32.4 hectares (80 acres) wall-enclosed vineyard in walking distance of Kloster Eberbach. It is one of the most famous German vineyards.
The favorite site of the monks, they built a 4 meter (13ft) wall around the vineyard to keep out thieves. This and its Cistercian heritage give Steinberg a distinct similarity to the famed Clos De Vougeot in Bourgogne in neighboring France. The name Steinberg is German for "stony hill" after Stein = stone and Berg = mountain or hill.
The Steinberg is one of handful single vineyard sites in Germany which for reasons of historical significance have dispensation from having to include a village name together with the vineyard's name, so the wines from the Steinberg are simply labelled Steinberger.
See also:
In the Steinberg, Eberbach Abbey, Rheingau, Germany
Steinbergkeller
A few years ago, the Hessische Staatsweingueter built a new winemaking facility and celler just outside the wall of Steinberg, the Steinbergkeller.
Kloster Eberbach
The Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery. Its Romanesque and Gothic buildings are impressive. It was founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery on the east bank of the Rhine. The vineyards of Eberbach Abbey were, at 300 hectares, the largest in medieval Europe.
2 Spectacular Wines
We toured the wine cellar of Kloster Eberbach and were able to taste there 2 spectacular wines:
1943 Assmannshäuser Höllenberg Spätburgunder, Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach
1953 Steinberger, Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach
Weingut Schloss Johannisberg
The Estate Director Christian Witte and his staff showed us around, including the historic cellar of Schloss Johannisberg, conducted a tasting and, to conclude the tour, invited us for dinner in the garden of Schloss Johannisberg.
Weingut Schloss Johannisberg has been making wine for over 900 years. The winery is most noted for its claim to have "discovered" the Spätlese wine, late harvest wine. This, however, is contested by the Hungarians; they claim that the late harvest was discovered in the Tokaji region.
Wine making in the Schloss Johannisberg vineyards started long before the castle was build, during the reign of Charlemagne. The hill became known as Johannisberg (John's mountain) in the 1100s, when a Romanesque basilica in honor of John the Baptist was built on the hill. The Chateau that we see today was built in the 1700s by the Prince-Abbot of Fulda. In 1720 he planted Riesling vines, making it the oldest Riesling vineyard in the world.
The estate changed hands several times during the Napoleonic Wars, but in 1816 the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, gave it to the Austrian statesman Prince von Metternich to thank him for his great services. The estate is in the hands of the Oetker family today.
The vineyard Schloss Johannisberg is also a single vineyard designation (Einzellage) in its own right. Like the Steinberg, it is one of a handful historic German vineyards which do not have to display a village name on the label. Thus, the vineyard designation on the label is Schloß Johannisberger. There are currently about 35 hectares (86 acres) of vineyard.
The Oetker family also owns the renown Weingut G.H. von Mumm, also in Johannisberg. Weingut G.H. von Mumm is jointly managed with Weingut Schloss Johannisberg by Christian Witte and his team.
See also:
VDP Vineyard Illuminations at Johannisberg Castle
Dinner at Schloss Johannisberg
We ended the spectecular tour with dinner in the garden of Schloss Johannisberg. Outstanding food, outstanding company and an outstandign selection of wines from Weingut Schloss Johannisberg and Weingut G.H. von Mumm.
Thanks
Postings about the 2014 International Riesling Symposium on schiller-wine
This posting is part of a series about the 2nd International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany. Here is a list of the Postings already published and those still coming.
The 2nd International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
A Tour through the Rheingau - Visits of 3 Prestigious, Historic Rheingau Wineries: Weingut Robert Weil, Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach and Schloss Johannisberg, Germany
Rieslings from the New World – More Traditional than Rieslings from the Old World? A Tasting at the 2nd International Riesling Symposium, led by Stuart Pigott, Germany
The Grand Cru Couple from VDP.Grosse Lage – Riesling Grosses Gewächs and Riesling Spätlese. A Tasting at the 2nd International Riesling Symposium, led by Giuseppe Lauria, Germany
Riesling from Danube, Rhine, Nahe, and Moselle: the European Riesling Route - A Tasting at the 2014 International Riesling Symposium, Germany, Moderated by Cornelius and Fabian Lange
Riesling and Aging Potential. A Tasting at the 2nd International Riesling Symposium, led by Caro Maurer, MW, Germany
German Riesling Producers at the 2. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
American Riesling Producers at the 2. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
Austrian Riesling Producers at the 2. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
New Zealandian Riesling Producers at the 2. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
Australian Riesling Producers at the 2. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
Canadian Riesling Producers at the 2. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau, Germany
schiller-wine: Related Postings
The 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle: Impressions from the Grand Tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington State, USA
The World of Riesling in Seattle - Fourth Riesling Rendezvous in Washington State, USA
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany
Stepping up: From 3 … to 4 Quality Levels - The New Classification of the VDP, Germany
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany
Approaches to Classifying German Wine: The Standard Approach (the Law of 1971), the VDP Approach and the Zero Classification Approach
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
In the Steinberg, Eberbach Abbey, Rheingau, Germany
Top 10 Riesling Producers in the World– Snooth 2012
The German Winemakers at the 4th Riesling Rendezvous in Seattle, USA
3 Wine Tours by ombiasy Coming up in 2014: Germany-North, Germany-South and Bordeaux
VDP Vineyard Illuminations at Johannisberg Castle
The Role of Government - Government Owned Wineries in Germany