Visiting German wineries, do you know these?

WINE TALK
#1

Looks like we will be touring some German wineries in the spring. Our German friends are suggesting these places (which I don’t know at all). Right now the list is too long. Any info about their wines to help decide the final list would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

Moselle:
Moselschild in Ürzig (actually I’ve had three wines from them, two of which I liked a lot)
Bischöfliche Weingüter in Trier
Staatsweingüter in Trier
(we’ll add a few more here, I’m thinking J. J. Prüm and Clemens Busch)

Palatinate (Pfalz):
Münzberg
Schmitt
Schneider

Rheingau:
Kloster Eberbach
Schloß Neurat
Schloß Johannisberg

Main:
Ipshöfen
Würzburg on the Main

Baden:
Klump
Clauert in Bruchsaal
Leimen

#2

Does it have to from the list? I actually would not visit any of those wineries and rather make a new list from the recommendations made in other “where to visit in Germany” thread.

If it has to be from the list, see below:

#3

Here’s where I’d go instead (roughly the same price class as the ones you listed, maybe slightly more expensive, but no “trophy producers”):

Mosel:

Christoffel jun.
Weiser-Künstler
Immich-Batterieberg

Pfalz:

Koehler-Ruprecht
Siener
Wageck-Pfaffmann

Rheingau:

Querbach
J.B. Becker
Peter-Jakob Kühn

Baden:

Seeger
R&C Schneider
Pix

Franken:

Rainer Sauer
Luckert

#4

Why not see the trophy producers, it’s not like they cost materially more!

#5

If you ask me:

• Mosel

  • Haag
  • Willy Schäfer
  • Van Volxem
  • Molitor

• Nahe

  • Dönnhoff
  • Schönleber
  • Schäfer-Fröhlich

• Rheingau

  • Künstler
  • Leitz
  • von Buhl
  • Spreitzer

• Rheinhessen

  • Keller
  • Wittmann
  • Battenfeld-Spanier

• Pfalz

  • Becker
  • Rebholz
  • Bürklin-Wolf

• Baden

  • Huber
  • Laible (both father and son)
  • Dr. Heger
  • Ziereisen
  • Schneider
  • Bercher

• Württemberg

  • Schnaitmann
  • Beurer

• Franken

  • Horst Sauer
  • Bürgerspital
  • Fürst
  • Wirsching
#6

Schloss Johannisberg is worth it just for lunch and the view of the Rhine.

#7

Thanks much for all the info, Steven. I’ll look into these. Sorry if some of these questions are pretty obvious, but I don’t know much about German wines overall.

Re you questions in the other post, “Schmitt” is Egon Schmitt in Bad Dürkheim–the others I don’t know. I’m “in negotiation” with the guy arranging this–and he’s a bit headstrong and doesn’t always give full responses.

#8

Thanks, Russell. Which are the “trophy producers?” Or at least the ones that drink well, I’m not into wines as trophies. Sorry, but my knowledge of German wines is not very deep.

#9

Than you for the list, Jürgen! I will look into these, most of them I don’t know at all. Always fun to find something new and interesting.

#10

A headstrong German? No!

Tell him you’d prefer to visit producers that are readily available in the U.S. That would eliminate most of that list and allow you to pick the better producers.

#11

Peter,

my list is certainly not complete. But the wineries I mentioned are certainly amongst the best in Germany.

I hope you have fun – regardless which wineries you will visit. And welcome to my homeland.

#12

To clarify, that would be Fritz Haag, not Willi, I’m sure.

#13

Thanks for the tips! I’ve known this guy for years, he is tremendous fun once the trip gets going, but arranging it is another matter…

PS totally OT, picking up on something you said in another thread, we had (sadly, my last) bottle of Navarro Correas Structura Ultra '06 (a Mendoza Malbec blend) Sat night. Everybody was completely blown away (and I got it for $35).

#14

Vielen Dank, Jürgen! In fact I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany, starting as a student many years ago. Too many visits to count! But I haven’t been there so much recently.

#15

I saw that in your signature block. I’ll have to chase some down.

#16

I’m not familiar with every one of these, but knowing many of them, this seems like a fantastic and reasonably sized list.

#17

Thanks, Doug! I have made up a suggested listed of Mosel wineries and sent it along to my friend, including some he likes. We’ll see how this ends up…