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The Rheingau

German Wine Guide:

Introduction
Laws & Classifications
Prädikat & AP Number
German Wine Dictionary
The Saar
The Ruwer
The Middle Mosel Part 1
The Middle Mosel Part 2
The Nahe
The Rheingau
Rheinhessen
The Pfalz

In the previous instalment of my guide to the major wine regions of Germany, we sailed upstream from where the Mosel flows into the Rhine, past the vineyards of the Mittelrhein, until we reached the Nahe, another of the Rhine's tributaries. We are now firmly among Germany's great vineyards again; if, rather than turning up the Nahe which flows in from the south, we turn instead to inspect the opposite bank of the river, we would see an impressive sweep of riverside vines. These are the vineyards of the Rheingau, and they are perhaps the birthplace of modern German viticulture.

Once again it is the course of the river that determines the suitability of these lands for the vine. The Rhine flows northwards, from its origins high in the Swiss Alps, until it reaches its destination, the North Sea. But look at any map of the Rhine and you will see, about half-way along, a distinctive kink in the river's otherwise uncomplicated course. As the Rhine reaches the cities of Mainz and Wiesbaden, its passage is blocked by the Taunus mountains, and it must take a turn to the west; it continues on for about 30 km at which point it reaches the Rüdesheimer Berg, when it turns north once more. The right bank, as a consequence, has a southerly exposure which is an absolute must for the optimum ripening of grapes at this northerly latitude. Along the bank of river, the vines stretch up the slopes, clustered between the many small streams that run down to join the Rhine. The names of some of the vineyards are evocative and will be well known to many even remotely familiar with German wine; Schloss Vollrads, Schloss Johnnisberg, Jesuitgarten, Marcobrunn. Many of the names of the vineyards hint at ecclesiastical origins, and indeed, like many other regions of Germany, for centuries these vines were tended by monks rather than wealthy aristocrats. The contributions that these religious orders made to the development of German viticulture should not be underestimated, as it was in their hands that Riesling came to the predominance that it enjoys today, and the vineyards around Schloss Johannisberg are reputedly the first in Germany to have seen the harvest of nobly rotten grapes for the production of sweet wine.

The topography of the vineyards is a stark contrast to that of those that lie either side of the Mosel. There, vines scrabble for a foothold on the steep, sometimes precipitous slopes of sheer slate. The Rheingau is not so dramatic, the slopes are much gentler alongside the river; nevertheless, they are still slopes, and they afford the vines a wonderful aspect. As with the Mosel, the Rhine has a moderating effect on local temperatures, protecting from extreme lows but also, when the temperatures peak in midsummer, providing a welcome cooling effect, which is especially important for those vines low down, on the most gentle riverside slopes. Underfoot, the soils along the riverside show some variety, with areas of marl, clay, loess and, of course, some slate. It is certainly a very different picture from the vineyards of the Mosel. When looking at the varieties grown here, however, we see the usual and most welcome names; although other varieties such as Grauburgunder do have a presence in the vineyard, the vast majority of sites (over 80%), particularly the best vineyards, are planted with Riesling. In fact, there are few other regions of Germany where Riesling is so predominant. The resulting wines are, rather unsurprisingly, fairly close in style to those from the Nahe and other Rhine vineyards, and are certainly distinct from the more delicate wines of the Mosel, Saar and Ruwer. These wines frequently have a deep, concentrated, focussed flavour with a fresh and racy structure, engendered by wonderfully fresh acidity. They are rounded, seductive yet firmly composed wines that often have a very domineering presence on the palate. As with the Nahe, there are some vineyards that are underexploited, and some producers that underperform, but I am sure that with the right combination these wines can be absolutely fabulous. Unfortunately, the right combination can be difficult to locate; only a few producers seem to be doing great things in the Rheingau, and the sheen on what should be the heart of the Rhine vineyards, if not the heart of all German wine, seems somewhat dull today.

The Top Vineyards

Top Winedoctor Estates

Robert Weil
Künstler
Josef Leitz
Bernhard Breuer
Kühn

As with the Nahe, despite our discovery of the region through sailing upstream, I will give my account of some of the more notable vineyards of the Rheingau starting with those further upstream, and then gradually moving down. But before we start with those villages shown on the map, we must start a little to the west, on the River Main, a tributary of the Rhine. Here, around Hochheim (the town that gave us the word hock), there is a small outpost of vineyards. Small in area, perhaps, but not in significance, as there are some sites of great potential here, and they should not go unmentioned. In particular, the Domdechaney, Hofmeister, Hölle, Königin Viktoriaberg, Kirchenstück, Reichestal, Stein, Stielweg vineyards are all worthy of some attention. Some of the best wines from Hochheim, in my experience, have been from Franz Künstler. Returning to the Rhine, however, once past Mainz and Wiesbaden the first wine village of interest is Walluf, where Becker makes good quality, firmly structured wines from the Walkenberg vineyard, a southeasterly slope just above the village. Further up the slopes are the Wildsau and Langenberg vineyards, which are related to the nearby village of Martinsthal, whilst to the east are the Nonnenberg, Rothenberg, Baikin and Gehrn vineyards, which are related to the village of Rauenthal. The soils of the latter vineyards are characterised by phyllite, a metamorphic rock composed principally of quartz, mica and chlorite, and the wines tend to have the edge over those from around Martinsthal. Of these the Baikin vineyard should probably lead the pack, but as I have already alluded to, some sites are just not fully exploited. The wines of August Eser from Gehrn, and Bernhard Breuer from Nonnenberg, are probably the most notable here. Nevertheless, few of these sites challenge the great vineyards of the Rheingau, which tend to be on the more gentle slopes near the water's edge.

Moving west, we can hop from one ridge of Riesling vines to the next, and our next stop should be at the Gräfenberg vineyard which lies on the slope above the village of Kiedrich. There is but one reason to come here, and that is for the wines of Robert Weil, who extols this vineyard turning out a broad range of wines, with the sweet Goldkapsel Auslese, BA, TBA and Eiswein all particularly worthy of attention. This is the Rheingau's leading estate by far, analogous to Dönnhoff in the Nahe, in that it leads the competition by some considerable distance. Closer to the Rhine is the town of Eltville, the region's main wine town, blessed as it is with ancient cellars; despite this, there is only one significant vineyard close by, that being the Sonnenberg. But as we continue our stroll westwards, following the flow of the river, we come across some of the region's most exalted sites, starting with those gathered around the villages of Erbach and Hattenheim. To the north of Erbach are the Hohenrain and Steinmorgen vineyards, both sites of repute, as is Siegelsberg to the west again. Closer to the river is another more famous vineyard, however, that of Marcobrunn (brunn refers to a well or spring). A very low-lying site, in some vintages this has disadvantaged the vines here, which have faced submersion. Nevertheless, when the vintage characteristics are right, the wines of Marcobrunn can be of very good quality indeed. It is probably Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern that is best known for extolling this most famous of vineyards, although I must confess I have had some disappointing examples over the years; others that own vines here include Schloss Schönborn, Schloss Rheinhartshausen and Knyphausen, and perhaps these are having more success.

Moving on, there is also the Mannberg vineyard, contiguous with that of Marcobrunn, which produces (very broadly speaking - there are always differences) wines in a similar style to those from its neighbour. On the far side of Hattenheim is Pfaffenberg, another tiny vineyard. Extolled in its entirety by Schloss Schönborn, the site, again low down by the river and characterised by light, heat-retaining soils, has the potential to produce great wines. Further up from the slopes, away from the river, is situated the Kloster Eberbach, an ancient Cistercian abbey which dates back to the 12th Century, which is today home to the German Wine Academy. Attached is the Steinberg vineyard, a walled vineyard of just over 31 hectares. This is the Rheingau's very own Clos de Vougeot (another Cistercian monastery), and like other grand monopoles, to utilise a French term, it is exempt from the usual labelling regulations and is labelled simply as Steinberger. It has one other similarity with Clos de Vougeot, that being rather varied soil types across different areas of the vineyard, but as here we are not faced with a multitude of different owners it is of less consequence. On the whole, the wines can be very good. The sweep of very high quality vineyards are now beginning to peter out as we gain sight of the Rüdesheimer Berg, but we can not finish without visiting the sites of Hallgarten, a village higher up the slopes, and Oestrich and Winkel, two villages on the riverside. Around the former are the Jungfer, Würzgarten and Schönhell vineyards. Closer to Oestrich are the Lenchen and Doosberg vineyards, both potentially very good. And around Winkel, the Jesuitengarten and Schlossberg vineyards, among others, are worthy of exploration.

A final flourish before we reach Rüdesheim can be found in the shape of Johannisberg. This monastery was founded in the 12th Century, and it was not long before the hill, village and the monastery itself were all renamed Johannisberg, after John the Baptist. By the early 18th Century, however, the vineyards were in a sorry state, and when purchased by Konstantin von Buttlar in 1726 they required extensive replanting. It was here, legend tells us, that Charlemagne predicted the quality of the wines based on his observations of which snow-covered slopes thawed first. And, as legend once again informs, it was the Schloss Johannisberg vineyard that saw the first nobly rotten spätlese, as I have explained in my feature on botrytis. Clearly this is a vineyard of great historical significance, although as with some other sites vineyards of the Rheingau, finding superior examples of the vineyard today in order to gauge its capabilities can be extremely difficult. Finally, further on, around Rüdesheim, the Berg Rottland, Berg Roseneck and Berg Schlossberg vineyards, among others, are also fascinating sites. Here the slope is steeper in places, a feature that continues as the river flows on towards Lorchhausen. But the wines, initially at least, can be very good.

Next instalment: Rheinhessen