Traubenhaus is a relatively new, Texas-based importer of German wine. The two key-persons in the company are Germany-based Paul Steinbach and Texas-based Justin Bryan. They met a few years ago in Germany, when Justin was working in Germany, and decided to create a German wine import company in Texas. The company has an interesting and expanding portfolio. Ultimately, they want to become the leading importer of German wine in the US, with winemakers from all 13 German wine regions in their portfolio, said Paul.
Recently, the 2 of them visited their German producers and invited me to join them. I was able to come along on their visit of Weingut Matthias Müller in Spay in the Mittelrhein.
Annette Schiller also came along, as she plans to include a tasting at Weingut Matthias Müller in her forthcoming Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2016). We were also joined by our daughter Cornelia Treman-Schiller and her husband Chris and daughter Viatrix, who are based in China and were visiting Germany for Christmas.
Johannes Müller was our host. We met Matthias Müller in the wine cellar.
Traubenhaus
Traubenhaus: Our selection of German wine, most of which was previously unavailable in the United States, represents a wide range of grape varietals and styles from top producers. Each wine is specially curated by our resident German wine expert, Paul Steinbach, to provide a characteristic German wine experience. Handmade, natural, exceptional—these are all qualities you can expect from the German wine presented by Traubenhaus.
Weingut Matthias Müller (Traubenhaus)
Traubenhaus: The family of the winery (“weingut”) Matthias Müller has worked the Bopparder Hamm vineyards of the Mittelrhein region for over 300 years. The Bopparder Hamm vineyards are steep slate tracts in the Mittelrhein classified with the highest possible rank of “grand.” Weingut Matthias Müller cultivates its vineyards according to stringent guidelines which require intensive hand work and selective harvesting to produce their Riesling which comprises 92% of Matthias Müller’s total plantings. Weingut Matthias Müller is a member of the exclusive VDP and has earned international recognition through the years including recently when awarded Gault & Millau’s highest honor, “Winery of the Year 2012.”
Weingut Matthias Müller sits amidst beautiful and romantic stretches that are some of the most magnificent in the world. The entire region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site characterized by hills and the wide Rhein River where castles spring from behind every bend of the winding Rhein. Weingut Matthias Müller is an icon in the Mittelrhein region and considered by many, including Gault & Millau, to be the very finest in the Mittelrhein, (best producer in Mittelrhein, Gault & Millau 2013).
Weingut Matthias Müller
Weingut Matthias Müller is in Spay in the Mittelrhein Region. The Müller family has been farming, including making wine, for 300 years. The concentration on wine happened under Heinrich Müller, the grandfather of Johannes Müller. Today, Weingut Matthias Müller is managed by Matthias Müller and his wife Marianne Müller, with Johannes Müller, who just graduated from Geisenheim University.
The vineyard area totals 18.5 hectares, all in the Bopparder Hamm, with the single vineyards Engelstein, Feuerlay, Mandelstein and Ohlenberg. This compares to 2 hectares when his grandfather took over and 4 hectares, when his father took over.
The Müllers mostly grow Riesling, with a bit of Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder (which however is fermented white). Two thirds of the production of around 150.000 per year is sold at the winery to private customers.
Since 2007, Weingut Matthias Müller has been a member of the VDP, the association of about 200 German elite winemakers.
Tasting
2014 Weingut Matthias Müller Rheinschiefer Riesling trocken
2014 Weingut Matthias Müller Bopparder Hamm Riesling Alte Reben trocken
2014 Weingut Matthias Müller Bopparder Hamm Feuerlay trocken
2014 Weingut Matthias Müller Bopparder Hamm Mandelstein Riesling –S- trocken
2014 Weingut Matthias Müller Bopparder Hamm Riesling Alte Reben feinherb
2013 Weingut Matthias Müller Bopparder Hamm Feuerlay Riesling Auslese
schiller-wine: Related Postings
2012: Best German Wines (Awards) – Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland 2012
Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY
Tour, Tasting (and Lunch) with Robert Schätzle, Owner and Winemaker, Weingut Schloss Neuweier in Baden– Germany-South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2015)
Wine Pairing Lunch at Röttele’s Restaurant (1 Star Michelin) at Schloss Neuweier, with Owner and Winemaker Robert Schätzle, Weingut Schloss Neuweier - German South Wine Tour by ombiasy (2015)
Hanging out with Rheingau Winemakers: Dirk Wuertz, Desiree Eser, Alexander Jakob Jung, Hansi Bausch and Christian Ress in Hattenheim, Rheingau, Germany