Some of the events of the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) focused exclusively on wine. Others focused on other aspects, notably art, history and food. The visit of the Eberbach Abbey was one of those, where wine was important, but art and history were at the center.
I already provided an overview about the Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) here:
Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
This posting focuses on a special event, the visit of the Eberbach Abbey.
Kloster Eberbach
The Eberbach Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery on the eastern bank of the Rhine River.
Today, the Eberbach Abbey is a large State-owned winery (the State of Hessen is its proprietor) and one of the largest wineries in Germany. Its Romanesque and Gothic buildings are impressive.
Most of the vineyard holdings of the Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach date back to the 12th centuries, when Cistercian monks founded the Eberbach Abbey. The vineyards of Eberbach Abbey were, at 300 hectares, the largest in medieval Europe.
The Abbey, including its vineyards, was secularized under Napoleon in 1803. The new owner was the Duke of Nassau. Then, from 1866, Prussia became the owner of the Abbey and its vineyards. Finally, in 1945 after World War II, the Federal State of Hessen took it over.
Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach
The Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach serves as an umbrella organization for seven individual wine estates, including 3 wine producing facilities and cellars:
The Bensheim Estate is the only one located in the Hessische Bergstraße wine-growing region. Grand Duke of Hessen-Darmstadt founded this Estate in 1904, the vineyard holdings total 38 hectares. The main grape variety planted is Riesling (25 ha), as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.
The red wine Estate Assmannshausen at the western edge of the Rheingau has a vineyard area of 27 hectares in the Höllenberg site, of which 25 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir. These two Estates do their own bottling, and market the wines under their own names.
The Hattenheim Estate (50 ha vineyard area in the Engelmannsberg, Siegelsberg and Marcobrunn sites).
The Hochheim Estate.
The Rauenthal Estate (48 ha in the Baiken and Wülfen sites).
The Rüdesheim Estate (23 ha in the Berg Roseneck, Berg Rottland and Berg Schlossberg sites).
The Steinberg (32 ha, a monopole holding).
The total vineyard area of the 7 estates comes to more than 200 hectares, of which 85% are planted with Riesling, 10% with Pinot Noir and 5% with other varieties.
A few years ago, the Hessische Staatsweingüter built a new winemaking facility and celler just outside the wall of Steinberg, the Steinbergkeller. The Steinbergkeller – a state of the art winery - was a very controversial project. It was constructed for several 100 million Euro.
Visit of Kloster Eberbach
We had the opportunity to tour the Abbey, including the old monk’s dormitory where every year the famous auction of premium German wines takes place. A very special treat was a peek into the treasure chamber, where century old wine bottles are still stored and where the movie “The Name of the Rose” with Sean Connery was filmed in 1986.
The event started (between 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm) with multiple concerts (Lieder, Baroque Music, Guitar Music) in the different halls of the Eberbach Abbey, performed by members of the Frankfurt School of Music and Performing Arts.
This was followed (at 08:00 pm) by the main concert in the Basilika of Eberbach Abbey: “L’isola disabitata” by Joseph Haydn, performed by the ensemble of the Frankfurt School of Music and Performing Arts.
Lunch at the Rauenthal Estate
Earlier during the day, after the visit of Weingut Baron Knyphausen in the morning (see here: xxxxxx), we had lunch at the Restaurant & Gutsausschank Baiken in the vineyards above the town of Eltville. This wine tavern – part of the Eberbach Abbey complex - sits right in the middle of the vineyards on the hill overlooking the town of Eltville.
Weinhotel Koegler in Eltville
Following lunch we checked in at Weinhotel Koegler in Eltville - a small, upscale boutique hotel located within the historic walls of the Koegler winery in the center of Eltville with a wonderful combination of medieval stone walls and ultra modern décor. We spend the night in a house that made world history: In 1467 it was here that Johannes Gutenberg created the most important early prints of the oldest dictionary world-wide.
Eltville and the Rhine River
Before driving over to Kloster Eberbach in the early evening, we had a chance to explore the beautiful upmarket, historic town of Eltville situated right on the banks of the Rhine River. Annette and I took a break at the wine tasting booth at the river front and enjoyed watching the cargo boats that travel the river up- and downstream.
Postings on the Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) (Posted and Forthcoming)
4 Wine Tours by ombiasy coming up in 2015: Germany-East, Germany-South. Germany-Nord and Bordeaux
Fall Tours by ombiasy WineTours 2015 - A Very Special Treat: Experience Harvest Time !
Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Baron Knyphausen in Erbach, Rheingau - Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany
Wine and Music at Eberbach Abbey
Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Wein- und Sektgut Barth in Hattenheim, Rheingau
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Josef Spreitzer in Oestrich, Rheigau
Wine Tasting at Weingut Toni Jost in Bacharach, Mittelrhein
Cruise on the Rhine River from Bacharach to Boppard, Mittelrhein
Wine Tasting at Weingut J.J.Adeneuer in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Ahr
Vineyard Walk and Tasting at Weingut Meyer-Näkel in Dernau, Ahr
Wine Tasting at Weingut Dr. Loosen in Bernkastel-Kues, Mosel
Wine Tasting at Weingut St. Urbans-Hof in Leiwen, Mosel
Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Weingut Van Volxem in Wiltingen, Saar, Mosel
Wine Tasting at Weingut Hexamer, in Monzingen, Nahe
Tour and Tasting at Weingut Gut Hermannsberg, in Niederhausen, Nahe
Tour and Wine Dinner at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe
Tour and Tasting at Sektmanufaktur Bardong in Geisenheim, Rheingau
Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Domaine Schloss Johannisberg in Geisenheim, Rheingau