We had lunch cum wine tasting at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf with Georg Rumpf. After lunch, we took a quick cellar tour.
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf was the second of the three wineries we visited that day in the Nahe Valley: Weingut Dönnhoff, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf and Schlossgut Diel. Interestingly, all three of them are represented in the USA by Terry Theise/ Michael Skurnik.
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf has a great wine tavern, run by Georg’s mother, where we had lunch cum wine tasting. In addition, there is an idyllic garden restaurant. Especially during the summer, the garden restaurant of the winery provides you with the opportunity to enjoy the evening in a cozy al fresco atmosphere with a hearty meal and a good glass of wine.
Weingut Kruger-Rumpf
“In our family, viniculture has been tradition since 1708 - a tradition that we have been cultivating in our vineyards as well as in our manor house which was built back in 1830” said Georg Rumpf. Stefan Rumpf, Georg’s father, brought Weingut Kruger-Rumpf up to where it is today: After completing his studies in agricultural sciences, including stints in Californian wineries, and conducting research at the Geisenheim research institute, Stefan Rumpf took over the estate from his parents in 1984. Up until then, the wines were sold almost entirely in bulk. Stefan Rumpf changed this and started to bottle his wines and to market the bottles himself. Less than 10 years later, in 1992, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf was invited to join the VDP, the about 200 German elite winemakers, a clear sign of what Stefan Rumpf had achieved over the course of just 8 years.
Today, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf has 3 (of 5) grapes in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland. The vineyard area totals 22 hectares and the annual production is 14.000 cases. The top sites are: Münsterer Dautenpflänzer (slate with sandy loam); Münsterer Pittersberg (slate); Münsterer Rheinberg (weathered quartzite and sandy loam); Binger Scharlachberg Rheinhessen (Rotliegend and porphyry).
Grape varieties: 65% Riesling, 10% each of Silvaner and Weissburgunder, 5% each of Chardonnay, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. In fact, Kruger-Rumpf was the first estate in the Nahe region to plant Chardonnay.
Georg Rumpf has taken over the winemaking aspect of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, while his father is now more focusing on sales and general management.
Weingut Krueger-Rumpf sells 70% of its production in Germany and exports the remaining 30%. Accordingly, “80% of the wines we produce are dry wines” said Georg “and 20% are fruity-sweet and noble-sweet wines.” In the US, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is imported by Terry Theise.
Weinstube Kruger-Rumpf
One of the (many) assets of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is the lovely country restaurant, which is part of the winery. It opened its doors in 1994. They call it a wine tavern, but for me it is a country restaurant. Whatever you call it, it is a lovely place, where you can have a great time with traditional, upscale cuisine and Kruger-Rumpf wines in the cozy atmosphere of a family-run country restaurant.
The rooms are decorated with appropriate accessories depending on the season. Painted stucco ceilings, historic tiled stoves, wooden floors, warm wall paint as well as furniture in country-house style provide for a comfortable living room atmosphere. The bright rooms are located on the ground floor of the manor house.
In addition, there is an idyllic garden. Especially during the summer, the garden restaurant of the winery provides you with the opportunity to enjoy the evening in a cozy al fresco atmosphere with a hearty meal and a good glass of wine. In fact, we did the tasting with Georg in the garden restaurant.
I love to wine and dine in the Kruger-Rumpf wine tavern. Towards the end of the year, after the harvest, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf always organizes two winemaker dinners. These are exceptional events, because of the wines, the food and the ambiance. When we are in Germany during that period, we always try to participate.
Lunch and Wine Tasting with Georg Rumpf
As usual, the food was excellent. And George paired the food with a very nice selection of his wines.
2012 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Feinherb
Terry Theise: From the same raw material as the GG, but from a component that wouldn’t ferment dry; it’s every bit as “Grand” in a slightly different style, more exotic and Ali-Baba perfumed, tangy and salty, could even have been 5g sweeter (!). Münsterer Dautenpflänzer is composed of slate and sandy loam and is one of Kruger-Rumpf’s top sites. Multi-faceted and complex, this GG site is one of the leading Grand Crus of the lower Nahe, with a typical mélange of soil types within its borders.
2012 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Grauer Burgunder S Trocken
Georg Rumpf said that the Bourgogne varieties now account for 1/3 of the Kruger-Rumpf output. The Silberkapsel was fermented and aged in a large “Holzfass”. It is round, smooth and creamy.
2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Pittersberg Riesling GG Trocken
2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Scharlachbeg Riesling GG Trocken
Two great examples of what Germany can deliver in terms of ultra-premium dry wines. The Scharlachberg is a tick more concentrated and richer than the Pittersberg.
2011 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Spätburgunder R Trocken
Red wine is a niche product for Georg, but clearly also a type of wine that he is able to produce at the premium-level. Fermented and aged in barrique. The wine shows very well that Germany has become a serious red wine producer. In fact, overall, more than 1/3 of the German wine output is red wine.
2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Spätlese
2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Scheurebe Spätlese
Terry Theise: I happen to have learned these grapes are a mixture of Würzburg and Alzey clones. There’s a piece of otiose information with which you can bamboozle your wine friends. As often this wine’s a lot like Riesling with chef’s-special-sauce, some mix of papayas, vetiver and sage; slinky and slithery but not as id-suffused as the kinky `11. Don’t know Scheurebe? It’s why you can ignore all but the very best Sauvignon Blancs, because this grape does much the same dance, but far better.
2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Dautenpflänzer Riesling Auslese
2012 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Pittersberg Riesling Auslese
Two dessert wines to finish the meal. Georg explained that they try to make the Auslese wines without botrytized wines. He likes to have them fresh and steely, yet sugar-sweet. Long finish. Both young wines at the Auslese level with a lot of potential. Put away and try again in 10 years.
schiller-wine: Related Postings
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Coming-up: Wine & Art Tour to Saale-Unstrut - Saxony - Franken - Württemberg: Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (June 11 - June 20, 2015)
Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
German Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy, 2013
In the Vineyard and the Wine Cellar (and Lunch) with Robert Schätzle, Owner and Winemaker, Weingut Schloss Neuweier in Baden – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Wine Tasting Luncheon at 1 Star Michelin Röttele's Restaurant im Schloss Neuweier in Baden, with Winemaker Robert Schätzle and his Weingut Schloss Neuweier Wines – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Weingut Zähringer in Baden: Cellar Tour and Tasting with Winemaker Paulin Köpfer– Germany-South Wine Tour by ombasy (2014)
Weingut Freiherr von Gleichenstein in Baden: Tour and Tasting with Baron Johannes von Gleichenstein– Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014), Germany
Weingut Franz Keller in Oberbergen, Kaiserstuhl, Baden: Cellar Tour and Tasting with Fritz Keller– Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Lunch at Restaurant Schwarzer Adler in Oberbergen, with Weingut Franz Keller Wines – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Wine Tasting at Weingut Bernhard Huber– Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Visit: Weingut Dr. Heger in Baden – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Weingut Karl-Heinz Johner in Baden: Cellar Tour and Tasting with Karl-Heinz and Patrick Johner – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
At Maison Trimbach in Alsace with Hubert Trimbach – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Wine Tasting at Weingut Friedrich Becker – Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2014)
Lunch, Wine Tasting and Winery Tour at Weingut Jülg in Schweigen, Pfalz with the Jülg Family – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Wine Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut Geheimer Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan in Deidesheim with General Manager Gunther Hauck – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Winery Tour and Wine Tasting at Weingut A. Christmann, with Steffen Christmann– Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Wine Tasting at Weingut Weegmüller with Stephanie and Gabriele Weegmüller – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
Wine Tasting and Cellar Tour at Weingut Dönnhoff with Christina Dönnhoff– Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2014)
schiller-wine - Related Postings (Weingut Kruger-Rumpf)
Fabulous Dinner at schauMahl Restaurant with Winemaker Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Chef Björn Andreas and Sommelier Pit Punda, Germany
Cellar Tour, Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch with Georg Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe Valley, Germany
Winemaker Dinner with Georg and Stefan Rumpf and with Cornelia Rumpf at Weingut Kruger- Rumpf in the Nahe Valley, Germany
Wine Maker Dinner with Stefan Rumpf at Weinstube Kruger-Rumpf in Muenster-Sarmsheim, Germany
Visiting Georg Rumpf and his VDP Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in the Nahe Region, Germany
Schiller’s Favorites at the 2013 Riesling and Co Tasting in New York City, USA