See:
WeinKulturBar in Dresden, Saxony: One of the Best Wine Bars in Germany
The 18 Best Wine Places in Germany (Gerolsteiner)
Sachsen (Saxony)
Sachsen, located in the former GDR, is the easternmost German wine region and extends some 35 miles north and south of Dresden along the Elbe River. Most of the region’s vines are planted on terraces along the River Elbe, and being at such a gradient, a lot of the work is done by hand. For 8 centuries, vintners here have mostly planted Müller-Thurgau and Riesling, earning a well-deserved reputation for excellent dry whites.
Picture: Germany's Wine Regions Meissen porcelain, known locally as “white gold,” is one of the things Sachsen is best known for, being the first place in Europe to make china in the early 18th century.
Annette Schiller: This region tickles all your senses with its unique voluptuous baroque architecture, a rich history, its wealth of art, and love of all the good things in life.
What it is not so well-known for is its wine. Bordering Poland and the Czech Republic, Sachsen is one of Germany’s small wine regions (360 hectares) and disappeared from the wine map during the communist period.
During the communist times from 1945 until reunification in 1989, wine production was nationalized, and winemaking took place in huge VEB (volkseigener Betrieb / company owned by the people) wineries. The output, the bottle count was imposed on the VEB by the State, and therefore quality could not play a major role. After the iron curtain came down, family wineries were founded, and the winemakers pursued quality with a vengeance.
The three main grape varieties are Müller-Thurgau, Riesling and Weissburgunder but many others are grown in smaller quantities, including Grauer Burgunder, Spätburgunder, Roter Traminer, Kerner, Dornfelder, Goldriesling, Scheurebe and a rarity, Dunkelfelder. The wines are mostly dry (trocken). Most of the wine produced in Sachsen is consumed in the region.
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Annette Schiller's ombiasy WineTours covers the Sachsen Region on her Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours. Compared with the other ombiasy WineTours, the art component is much more in the forefront here.
Annette Schiller: This tour allows wine lovers and aficionados of the arts to experience what the statement “wine is a form of art” entails. Participants will live the profound relationship between wine, music, dance, and visual arts by visiting Germany’s beautiful, lesser known wine regions, and the region which is the cradle of German culture, and intellectual thinking. Meet winemakers who embody the "wine and art" approach right at their wineries, and attend three world-class concert-opera- and ballet performances in East-and Middle Germany. This tour will tickle all of your senses and emotions.
See:
Preview: Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
The Art Marketer: OMBIASY PR & WINE TOURS - Germany-East
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-North Wine Tour by ombiasy, 2014
We have visited 3 of the 8 favorites so far: Weingut Aust, Weingut Schloss Proschwitz and Weingut Zimmerling.
Schiller’s Favorite Winemakers in the Sachsen Region
Karl Friedrich Aust
Frédéric Fourré
Weingut Drei Herren
Weingut Schloss Proschwitz
Martin Schwarz
Rothes Gut – Tim Strasser
Weingut Schloss Wackerbarth
Klaus Zimmerling
Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust
Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust is in Radebeul in Sachsen, near Dresden. The historic estate from the 17the century is idyllically located at the foot of the Goldener Wagen vineyard.
Karl Friedrich’s parents acquired this historic gem in 1975 (during the GDP period) and restored it on their own initiative. Already during the GDR period, the Aust family made wine. The estate came with a small vineyard of 0.6 hectares. In his day job, the father of Karl Friedrich Aust was heading the reconstruction team of the Dresden Zwinger.
The origins of the “Meinholdsche Turmhaus” (tower building), the heart of Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust, dates back to the year 1650. Wine was already made here in the 18th century. C.C. Meinhold (Hofbuchdrucker) from Dresden acquired the estate in 1792.
Karl Friedrich Aust grew up on the estate with two siblings and early in his live got to know how to make wine. However, during the communist era the family was allowed to produce only 100 liters of wine for their own consumption. “6 families lived on the estate during the GDR period” Karl Friedrich Aust said.
Karl Friedrich’s father died very early, in 1992, while Karl Friedrich was still attending school. When Karl Friedrich finished school in 1995, he initially learnt the profession of a Steinmetz and Steinbildhauer (stonemason and stone sculptor) in Cologne at the famous Cathedral of Cologne. At the same time, he took over the full responsibility of the small family vineyard of the Aust family. During these 3 years, we was during the week an apprentice in Cologne and during the weekends an estate manager and small winemaker in Radebeul.
In 1999, he returned with his stonemason and stone sculptur degree to Radebeul and took up assignments in Dresden and at Schloss Proschwitz. But at the same time, the desire grew to fully shift from being a stone artist to a wine artist, i.e. to leave his job and to take over the family estate and concentrate on winemaking.
Since 2001, the family winery bears the name Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust. In 2003, Karl Friedrich added Weinhaus Karl Friedrich Aust, a small negociant operation. In 2006, he opened the Restaurant Weinhaus Aust, where we had lunch and tasted the Karl Friedrich Aust wines. On the side, Karl Friedrich went through another apprenticeship, that of a Winzer (winemaker). He earned his Winzer Certificate in 2008.
Today, the vineyard area of Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust totals 5.3 hectares. Annual production is 2000 cases. Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust is one of the leading winemakers in Sachsen and in Germany, with 2 grapes (out of 5) in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2015.
See also:
Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust in Radebeul, Sachsen: Tour and Lunch with Tasting – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Frédéric Fourré
Frédéric Fourré was born and raised in France. He is a Frenchman. Since 1999, he lives in Radebeul. Initially, he worked as a Sommelier at the Hotel Kempinski Taschenbergpalais in Dresden (for 10 years). Since 2001, he owns a vineyard in the Radebeuler Goldene Wagen and makes his own wine. In 2003, he decided to quit his day job (Sommelier) and become a full-time winemaker. Today, he produces 10 000 bottles annually, with his own grapes and bought grapes. In the beginning, Frédéric Fourré made his wine in the cellar of Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust. But he has moved now to Weingut Schloss Proschwitz.
Frédéric Fourré came to Sachsen, because of love; she was a dancer at the Semper Opera in Dresden. They now have 2 children.
Weingut Drei Herren
The name of the winery is "Three men", because the winery was reestablished by three men: the art historian Prof. Dr. Rainer Beck, the Radebeul winemakers Claus Höhne from Radebeul and a third man, who has dropped out in the meantime and was replaced by Antje Wiedemann, Saxon Wine Queen 2003 and German Wine Princess 2004.
During the GDR period, the estate deteriorated substantially. It was restored and renovated from 2003 to 2005. Weingut Drei Herren opened in 2005.
Today, Claus Höhne and Professor Rainer Beck are the owners; Claus Höhne is the winemaker and Antje Wiedemann runs the estate.
Schloss Proschwitz
The zur Lippe family was first mentioned in the early 12th century. The family belonged to the reigning dynasties in Europe until 1918. For more than 300 years, the family branch of Georg Prinz zur Lippe lived in Sachsen and produced wine. However there is a 45 year long interruption, when in 1945 the Russians occupied the eastern half of Germany and disappropriated and expelled the zur Lippe family.
Immediately after Germany’s reunification Georg Prinz zur Lippe started to buy back his family’s wine estate and ancestral residence, the Proschwitz castle. Since then he has restored the castle to its former glory, and invested heavily to build up the winery to become a state of the art wine producing estate. With 90 hectares under vine Weingut Proschwitz belongs to one of the larger wineries in Germany and is the largest privately owned one in Sachsen. Great care is given to sustainable techniques in the vineyard to enable future generations to continue to produce outstanding wines.
Thirteen grape varieties are grown on the estate: Pinot Gris 20%, Pinot Blanc 12%, Müller-Thurgau 11%, Elbling 8%, Pinot Noir 8%, Riesling 8%, Dornfelder 7%, Goldriesling 7%, Scheurebe 8%, Traminer and others.
Weingut Schloss Proschwitz also has a hotel, restaurant and a tasting room. The family’s 18th-century palace hosts conferences and weddings.
See also:
Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe, in Zadel, Sachsen: Tour and Tasting with Prinz zur Lippe – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Dining with Prinz zur Lippe, Owner of Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, at the Lippe’sches Gutshaus - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Martin Schwarz
Newsweek carried an article about Martin Schwarz recently: Martin Schwarz has only 30 bottles left of his new wine. Despite their hefty €50 price 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.
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. …
“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.”
Rothes Gut – Tim Strasser
Tim Strasser has 12 hectares under vine. The winery, which was first mentioned in 1765, is right next to the Albrechtsburg of Meissen. His family is from the German speaking part of Hungary and has a long winemaking tradition, for several generations in Meissen.
Tim Strasser did an apprenticeship at Schloß Wackerbarth and then went back to school to become a Techniker für Weinanbau und Önologie.
Since 2010 he is responsible for the wines at Rothes Gut.
Weingut Schloss Wackerbarth
The Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth is located in Radebeul in Sachsen and owned by the Federal State of Sachsen. It is Germany’s 11th largest wine estate.
This beautiful style palace was one of the many pleasure palaces and country residences build near Dresden under Augustus the Strong. Schloss Wackerbarth was constructed by Christoph August von Wackerbarth, who was a Minister in the government of August the Strong, between 1727 and 1730. After his death, the castle was inherited by Joseph Anton Gabaleon von Wackerbarth-Salmour and had in the following 200 years various owners, including Dresdner Bank.
In 1952, after World War II, it became the socialist wine co-operative VEG Weinbau Radebeu. Efforts to privatize the wine co-operative after the fall of the Berlin Wall by the Treuhand privatization organization in 1989 were not successful and the estate finally was taken over in 1992 by the Federal State of Sachsen. In 2002 the State of Sachsen decided to renovate the castle and transform it into a “Erlebnisweingut” with an educational mission.
The vineyard area totals 94 hectares. Some of the vineyards are terraced and on steep slopes, along the Elbe river. The main grape varities are Riesling (25 ha), Elbling (12 ha), Müller-Thurgau (10 ha), Kerner (9 ha) and Pinot Blanc (7,5 ha) as well as Pinot Noir, Dornfelder and Regent.
See also:
The Role of Government - Government Owned Wineries in Germany
Klaus Zimmerling
Annette Schiller: This is a very special place, hard to describe – you have to feel it - where art and wine is intimately intertwined. Two people, two passions, a heart warming experience: Klaus Zimmerling, the grape whisperer, who sees his vineyard, the perfectly shaped, southern facing Rysselkuppe as a gift and natural wonder, which imposes on him the duty to go the extra mile to produce extraordinary wine; Malgorzata Chodakoska, his wife, who sculptures graceful feminine figures in her studio, which sits in the middle of the vines. Every year one of her sculptures will serve as model for the bottle label of that particular vintage. With only 4 hectares under vine, output is small.
In 1992, shortly after reunification, Klaus Zimmerling founded Weingut Klaus Zimmerling. He took the plunge into self-employment with 1.5 hectares of vineyards, after having worked for many years in a factory for kitchen appliances. Klaus Zimmerling was borne in Leipzig and is a mechanical engineer by training.
Before creating Weingut Klaus Zimmerling, Klaus Zimmerling had devoted himself to wine already in his spare time. Also, he apprenticed for 12 months at a winery in Austria. He does not have a formal education as winemaker and is essentially self-thought.
Today, the vineyard area totals 4 hectares, as a peach plantation has given way to a vineyard expansion of the vineyard. Still, not much. The vineyard (Rysselkuppe) is a steep slope monopoly vineyard above Pillnitz and dates back to King August der Starke (August the Strong). It once belonged to the Saxon court.
When Klaus Zimmerling bought the vineyard, it was planted with lesser varieties such as Müller-Thurgau and Bacchus. The most he cut out and planted instead Riesling and Pinot.
Klaus Zimmerling: The extreme geological conditions, the weathered granite and gneiss, in conjunction with the southern exposure of the slopes is particularly favorable for the cultivation of high-quality wines To that, add the very low yields.
The use of modern technology is minimal. Klaus Zimmerling told us that the cooling takes place by means of a wet bed sheet and he measures the temperature by hand. Initially, the fermentation is spontaneous, but Klaus Zimmerling adds selected yeast later in the fermentation process. All the wines are fermented in stainless steel vats. Since 2009, Klaus Zimmerling uses Stelvin screw tops.
Until not so long ago, Klaus Zimmerling marketed his wines all as Landwein, the lowest quality level in the Law of 1971 German quality pyramid. He did not want to bother to go through the administrative classification procedure and his clients did not care either. This has changed since Klaus Zimmerling joined the prestigious VDP, the association of about 200 elite winemakers in Germany.
In the beginning, Klaus Zimmerling used to make his wine in the vaults of the famous castle Pillnitz. Twice he experienced flood. For nearly half a million euros he had dig a tunnel into Rysselkuppe and construced a new winery.
The new winery opened in 2008. The graceful entrance of the winery is adorned by impressive female figures of Malgorzata Chodakowska. More sculptures of his wife can be admired in the winery.
Klaus Zimmerling’s bottles are very special. First, he fills all his wine in 0.5 liter bottles. Second, the bottles are not only small, but also a visual delight as the front label of the bottles carry a picture of a sculpture of Malgorzata Chodakowska. The sculpture changes from vintage to vintage. Every year one of her sculptures will serve as model for the bottle label of that particular vintage.
Portfolio: Riesling (40%), Grauer Burgunder (30%), Gewürztraminer (15%), Weißburgunder (10%), Traminer (5%).
See also:
Visit of Weingut Klaus Zimmerling: The Wines of Klaus Zimmerling and the Art of his Wife Malgorzata Chodakoska - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Postings: Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) (Published and Forthcoming)
Preview: Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
The Art Marketer: OMBIASY PR & WINE TOURS - Germany-East
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Tasting at Weingut Lützkendorf with Uwe Lützkendorf – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Weingut Pawis (Saale Unstrut): Estate Tour and Wine Tasting with Markus Pawis – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Weingut Thürkind in Gröst, Saale-Unstrut: Tour, Tasting and Lunch – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in the Saale Unstrut Region, Germany
Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe, in Zadel, Sachsen: Tour and Tasting with Prinz zur Lippe – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Dining with Prinz zur Lippe, Owner of Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, at the Lippe’sches Gutshaus - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust in Radebeul, Sachsen: Tour and Lunch with Tasting – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Visit of Weingut Klaus Zimmerling: The Wines of Klaus Zimmerling and the Art of his Wife Malgorzata Chodakoska - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Visit and Tasting at Weingut Wirsching in Iphofen, Franken
Visit and Tasting at Weingut Am Stein Ludwig Knoll in Würzburg, Franken
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Star Winemaker Paul Fürst at Weingut Fürst in Franken
Würzburg and its 3 Historic Wine Taverns: Juliusspital, Bürgerspital and Staatlicher Hofkeller
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Graf Neipperg in Schwaigern, Württemberg
Tasting at Weingut Dautel in Württemberg with Christian Dautel
Wine Pairing Dinner at Restaurant Friedrich von Schiller in Bietigheim-Bissingen in Württemberg
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Herzog von Württemberg at Schloss Monrepos with Owner F.R.H. Carl Duke of Württemberg
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Rainer Schnaitmann at Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann in Fellbach, Württemberg
Wine Tasting at Weingut Simon-Bürkle in Zwingenberg, Hessische Bergstrasse
Schiller’ Favorites
This posting is part of the Schiller’s favorites series.
Europe
Germany
Schiller's Favorite Winemakers in Sachsen (Saxony), Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Winemakers in the Saale-Unstrut Region, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Trier, Germany
Schiller's Favorite (Wine-) Restaurants in Deidesheim in the Pfalz, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Berlin, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, 2013, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
France
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, France
Schiller's Favorite Seafood Places in Bordeaux City, France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux City, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, 2012 France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City) (2012), France
UK, Spain, Austria, Hungary
Schiller's Favorite Winebars in London, UK
Schiller’s Favorite Tapas Bars in Logroño in La Rioja, Spain
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in London, 2012, UK
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Budapest, Hungary
Schiller’s Favorite Spots to Drink Wine in Vienna, Austria (2011)
USA
Riesling Crawl in New York City – Or, Where to Buy German Wine in Manhattan: Schiller's Favorite Wine Stores, USA
Schiller's Favorite Oyster Bars and Seafood Places in Seattle, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Seattle, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Washington DC, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, 2012, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in San Francisco, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Places Where You Can Have a Glass of Wine in Healdsburg, California
Asia
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Singapore
Schiller s Favorite Winebars in Beijing, 2014, China
Africa
Schiller's Favorite Wines of Madagascar
Schiller’s 12 Favorite Restaurants of Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar