Thomas Haag is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year (Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015).
See also:
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015 Awards Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Wilhelm, Fritz, Oliver and Thomas Haag
Thomas Haag is the son of winemaker Wilhelm Haag (who was Germany’s Winemaker of the Year 1994) and the brother of winemaker Oliver Haag. He grew up at the famous Weingut Fritz Haag in Brauneberg. The first record of Weingut Fritz Haag is from 1605, with the Haag family having continuous ownership since that time. Wilhelm Haag was in charge of Weingut Fritz Haag until 2005, when he retired and handed over to Thomas Haag’s younger brother, Oliver Haag.
Thomas Haag has been the winemaker at Weingut Schloss Lieser in Lieser since 1992 and its owner since 1997. Schloss Lieser – a mighty castle – is the landmark of Lieser, a tiny, quaint Mosel village, built in 1875 by Baron von Schorlemer. Weingut Schloss Lieser was founded in 1904 and produced some of the greatest wines in the Mosel region. In the second half of the 1900s, however, the estate passed through several hands and went into decline.
Thomas Haag entered the picture in 1992, when he was appointed General Manager of Weingut Schloss Lieser. In 1997, Thomas Haag purchased the estate out of bankruptcy. From then on, Weingut Schloss Lieser went only one way: upwards. Today, Weingut Schloss Lieser is again one of the great estates in the Mosel region, and in all of Germany.
Weingut Schloss Lieser produces 8,000 cases and is a member of the VDP.
Winemaking Philosophy
Thomas Haag: With an average yield of 55 hectolitres per hectare we attend to a consistent reduction of the yield to ensure the high quality standards that characterize our wines. Using a strict selection process and exclusively manual harvesting that spans across several cycles, only fully ripened grapes will be harvested. Subsequently, a speedy but extremely gentle soft pressing of the grapes takes place. The carefully cleared must is stored according to their different characters in barrels of wood or stainless steel tank. Here, a slow fermentation will kick-start under cool temperatures using entirely natural yeast. When the favored degree of remaining natural residual sugar is attained the traditional decanting is performed. That means the young wine gets separated from the yeast. The remaining residual sugar is consequently an original component of the primordial must so that every aspect of individuality remains.
Vineyards
Thomas Haag: The estate Schloss Lieser cultivates a total area of 13 hectares, the majority of is located at the top sites of Lieser Niederberg Helden. Additional top sites are the Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr and Brauneberger Juffer.
Promotion to 5 Grapes
Thomas Haag is the Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015. This is a very important award. In addition, Thomas Haag got the Best Riesling Spätlese Award of the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015. Last, but not least, Weingut Schloss Lieser was promoted to the 5 (out of 5) grapes group of (11) winemakers in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015.
Thomas Haag: Starting from scratch by buying the winery without any client base and bottled wine in 1992, we faced the challenge to rehabilitate the winery, its buildings and vineyards: Now we have been rewarded! The Gault & Millau Wine Guide honored us ‘Wine Maker of the Year 2015’ and rewarded our hard work with the 5th grape, the highest category which includes only 11 top-wineries throughout Germany.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Germany’s Best Winemakers and Wines – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015 Awards Ceremony in Mainz, Germany
Best German Wines and Winemakers: Gault Millau Awards – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2014
Best German Wines and Wine Makers – the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2013 Awards
2012: Best German Wines (Awards) – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2012
2011: Gault Millau WeinGuide Germany 2011– Ratings
Gault Millau Wine Germany 2010
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
Bordeaux Wine Tour 2013 by ombiasy