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31-566: Schloss Vollrads is a castle and a wine estate in the Rheingau wine -growing region in Germany. It has been making wine for over 800 years. After the donation of Verona in 983 the archbishopric of Mainz , the new owner, invested in vine growing. However, vines had been cultivated there since Roman times. The manor house was named after the Lords of Winkel; Vollradus is a given name . In 1218

62-467: A "Vollradus in Winkela" (so-called knight Vollradus), in 1268 a "Conradus dictus Vollradus armiger " is documented. No building originating from this time is traceable. Today the core building of the estate is a substantial tower house , as a water castle surrounded by a square pond . Therefore, the house is only reachable by bridge. This keep can be traced to the first third of the 14th century and

93-489: A strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented by the German Wine Law of 1971. Nearly all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen ('individual sites'), and the produce from any vineyard can be used to make German wine at any quality level, as long as the must weight of the grapes reaches the designated minimum level. As

124-528: A sweet dessert wine rather than a semi-sweet wine. These designations are all unregulated. There are also a number of specialty and regional wines, considered as special version of some quality category. Here are some of them: There are two classes for wines with official status in all 13 Anbaugebiete and one regional class in Rheinhessen and the Rheingau, respectively. The geographic classification

155-541: Is different for Landwein, Deutscher Wein, Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein. There are seven Deutscher Wein regions: Rhein-Mosel, Bayern, Neckar, Oberrhein, Albrechtsburg, Stargarder Land and Niederlausitz. These are divided into a number of subregions, which in turn are divided into 19 Landwein regions (and must be trocken or halbtrocken in style). (There is no Landwein region for Franken.) Names of individual vineyards are not used for Deutscher Wein or Landwein. Deutscher Wein must be 100% German in origin, or specifically state on

186-433: Is in fact a vineyard designation ( Einzellage ) in its own right (as is Schloss Johannisberg ), and one of a handful historic German vineyards which according to the wine law do not have to display a village name, which otherwise would be Winkel , on the label. Thus, the wines are simply labelled as "Schloss Vollrads Riesling ", which signifies both the vineyard site, the producer and the grape variety. The Riesling grape

217-611: Is the early influence of the church on Rheingau winemaking, which was controlled from Eberbach Abbey . Augustinians and Benedictines are known to have inhabited the area of the later abbey from 1116, and in 1135 the Cistercians arrived, sent out from Clairvaux . Legend has it that the Cistercians, which are also credited with having founded the wine industry in Burgundy , brought Pinot noir with them to Rheingau, although

248-540: Is the only grape variety used in the winery. Nevertheless, the whole range of Prädikat designations such as Kabinett , Spätlese , Auslese , Beerenauslese , Trockenbeerenauslese up to the Eiswein is vinified. Schloss Vollrads also produces dry wines under the Erstes Gewächs designation. The Vollrads Lage is highly " terroir -expressive", meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by

279-420: Is the sequential order that the wine was submitted by that producer for testing (e.g. 031 – this was the 31st wine submitted by Kloster Eberbach for testing) . The final two digits is the year of the testing, which is normally the year following the vintage (e.g. 04 – the wine was tested in 2004) . German wine labels may also include In recent years, the official classification has been criticised by many of

310-631: The Rheingau in the Duchy of Nassau), all known vineyards at that time had been marked up by colour, evaluated and classified in first class vineyards (I. Klasse), second class vineyards (II. Klasse) and the remaining vineyards . As first class vineyards (I. Klasse) only 13 Lagen in 9 boundaries had been classified: Some villages of Rheingau, listed in the downstream direction of Rhine, with some notable vineyards and producers. The most cultivated grape varieties, by area in 2019, were: Erstes Gew%C3%A4chs The German wine classification system puts

341-569: The Rheingau is situated here on the river's right bank, but the region also includes the stretch along Rhine after it turns northward again, around the villages Assmannshausen and Lorch . The vineyards in Hochheim on the Main river are also included, just before it flows into Rhine. The Rheingau spans about 50 km from end to end. North of the Rheingau rises the Taunus mountain range, so most of

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372-538: The Rheingau's vineyards are on south-facing slope between hills and streams, which provides excellent wine-growing conditions in these northerly latitudes. Since the Verona donation in 983, the Rheingau belonged to the archbishopric of Mainz . Legend has it that Charlemagne let the first vineyards be planted in the region, close to present-day Schloss Johannisberg. However finds like a Roman origin grapevine cutting knife point to even earlier cultivation. Better documented

403-563: The United States. In 2005, Tafelwein and Landwein only accounted for 3.6% of total production. In Baden, there is a growing trend to release high-end wines as Landwein . Quality wine is divided into two types: The different Prädikat (superior quality wine) designations used are as follows, in order of increasing sugar levels in the must: The minimum must weight requirements for the different Prädikat designations are as follows. Many producers, especially top-level producers, exceed

434-656: The current German system does not classify vineyards by quality, the measure of wine ’quality’ is the ripeness of the grapes alone. Approximately 200 wine makers have been organised since 1910 in the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). To counter the shortcomings of the 1971 law, the VDP nowadays classifies the best vineyards by its own rules into 'VDP.Grosse Lage' ( Grand cru ) and 'VDP.Erste Lage' ( Premier cru ) based on 19th century Prussian tax maps. Most of these wine makers are based in

465-497: The earliest record of the grape variety in Rheingau is from 1470. The slopes down from the Taunus mountains belonging to Eberbach Abbey were planted as vineyards in the 12th century, and early in the 13th century the vineyards had reached their present area. In medieval times, more red than white wine was produced, usually as Gemischter Satz , i.e. the vineyards were planted with mixed varieties which were vinified together. In 2011 it

496-566: The estate has belonged to the Nassauische Sparkasse bank, which runs the manor house as well as the vineyards and a restaurant. The winery is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). Most of the time the manor house is not open to the public. Access is only allowed for special events. In the summer live music acts take place, especially as a venue of the Rheingau Musik Festival , and in

527-513: The family of Greiffenclau, the heirs of the Lords of Winkel. The octagon stage tower, flanking the donjon , was erected in 1471; the bay window was added in 1620. Above the doorway the coat of arms of the Greiffenclau family is to be seen. In 1684 the present two-winged manor house was built by Georg Phillip Greiffenclau von Vollrads near the tower. His son Johann Erwein erected the estate buildings around 1700, as well as boundary walls around

558-500: The harvest season a public bar is opened in the center court. Schloss Vollrads is a vineyard site documented since the Middle Ages in the Rheingau within the boundaries of the collective site ( Großlage ) of Honigberg between Johannisberg, Winkel, Mittelheim and Erbach. The estate claims to be the oldest winery of Germany, which is not verifiable for the distinct single vineyard site ( Einzellage ) of 58 ha size. Schloss Vollrads

589-542: The label where grapes were sourced from within the European Union. Sparkling wine produced at the Deutscher Wein level is often labeled as Deutscher Sekt and is made from 100% German grapes/wine. There are four levels of geographic classification, and any level of classification can be used on the label of Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein: The names of Großlagen and Einzellagen are always used together with

620-534: The label. German wine domaines/" châteaux " are often called "Kloster", "Schloss", "Burg", "Domaine" or "Weingut" followed by some other name. The first number (1–9) relates to the German wine region where the wine was produced and tested (e.g. 3-Rheingau) . The second 2 or 3 digit number indicates the village of the vineyard (e.g. 30- Rauenthal )) . The next two digits represents the particular wine estate (e.g. 50-Kloster Eberbach) . The following 2 to 3 digit number

651-559: The manor garden, and finally equipped the tower with a typical baroque roof . In 1907/1908 Countess Clara Matuschka-Greiffenclau had the buildings remodelled. She increased the height of the southern wing of the mansion by a third floor, added two towers with an onion dome , and enlarged the terraces and the bay windows at the Donjon. In 1975 Erwein Graf Matuschka-Greiffenclau  [ de ] took charge of

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682-499: The minimum requirements by a wide margin. This does not necessarily determine the sweetness of the final wine, because the winemaker may choose to ferment the wine fully or let some residual sugar remain. In certain regions, additional rules are applied to how a wine is classified. These special names represent special characters. The sugar content in the finished wine can be indicated by the following designations for Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein. For sparkling wines (Sekt), many of

713-504: The name of a wine village, because some Einzellage names, such as Schlossberg (castle hill) are used in several villages. Unfortunately, it is not possible to tell a Großlage from an Einzellage just by looking at the wine label. A few examples of how the names appear on labels: There are a few exceptions to the rule that a village must be indicated together with the vineyard name, those are a handful of historical vineyards known as Ortsteil im sinne des Weingesetzes (village name in sense of

744-493: The property, which was heavily in debt. Although an important figure in the emergence of a new or rediscovered style of high quality dry Rheingau wine in the 1980s and 1990s, he was not successful in reorganising his estate. When in 1997 the principal bank decided on the declaration of bankruptcy , Erwein, who was then also the chairman of the VDP -Rheingau, took his gun, went to his beloved vineyards, and committed suicide . Since then,

775-541: The regions of Mosel , Pfalz , and Franken . The classification of wines has been reorganized since 1 August 2009 by the EU wine market organization. The traditional German wine classification remained mostly unchanged, as the European system follows the origin-related system like in Germany and most areas of France ( AOC ). The already existing protection of geographical indication was transmitted through this step as well to

806-430: The same designations are used, but have a different meaning. There are also color designations that can be used on the label: Some producers also use additional propriate designations to denote quality or ripeness level within a Prädikat. These are outside the scope of the German wine law. Especially for Auslese, which can cover a wide range of sweetness levels, the presence of any of these designations tends to indicate

837-401: The wine classification. There are two major categories of German wine : table and "quality" wine. Table wine includes the designations Deutscher Wein (previously Tafelwein) and Landwein . Unlike the supposed equivalents of " Vin de Table " / " Vino da Tavola " and " Indicazione Geografica Tipica " / " Vin de Pays ", production levels are not high, and these wines are typically exported to

868-562: The wine law). Examples are Schloss Johannisberg in Rheingau and Scharzhofberg along the Saar. They are of the same size as a typical Einzellage and could be thought of as Einzellagen which were so famous that they were excused from displaying the village name. Unlike French wine labels, where key information about the grape variety is not included in the labeling and thus must be known by the consumer to make an informed choice, German wine labels must display much more important information about

899-490: The wine's place of origin. In order to avoid cork taint , the wine is sealed with Vino-Lok glass stoppers . The estate offers guided tours with tastings, a wine bar, shop, and various special events. It is a regular concert stage for the Rheingau Musik Festival . Rheingau wine The geography of the Rheingau is very distinct. Around Wiesbaden , the river Rhine detours from its northward flow west for about 30 km before it flows north again. The greater part of

930-438: The wine. It must always include: Due to the amount of information the label some non-professionals and many consumers find German wine labels to be harder to understand than French or US labels. Jon Bonné describes German wine labels as a "thicket of exotic words and abbreviations" that require "the vinous equivalent of Cliff notes to parse." German wine law regulates that at least six items of information be present on

961-590: Was unveiled, that the Official Wine Classification in the Rheingau has a 150 years history. The classification was the basis for taxation of wineries after the annexation of the Duchy of Nassau by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866. In the book Der nassauische Weinbau published in 1867 by Friedrich Wilhelm Dünkelberg a historical map Weinbau-Karte des nassauischen Rheingaus (Viticultural map of

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