Friday, April 20, 2012

Germany's Top 16 Winemakers - Feinschmecker WeinGuide 2012

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Manfred Pruem, Weingut JJ Pruem. I met Manfred's daughter Katharina Pruem in Washington DC recently and wrote about Weingut JJ Pruem: JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans

Der Feinschmecker, the leading German wine and food journal, presented its new ranking of the German wine scene with the release of its December 2011 monthly issue, Der Feinschmecker WeinGuide 2012.

The Feinschmecker Weinguide 2012 includes the 900 top winemakers of Germany; 16 of them are in the top category of 5 F's. The Feinschmecker uses a scale of 1 to 5 Fs.
Here are those winemakers that got in the Feinschmecker Weinguide 2012 the maximum number of 5 F's, grouped by wine region.

Ahr

None

Baden

None

Franken

Rudolf Fuerst

Weingut Rudolf Fuerst has the reputation of being a specialist for red wines, Spaetburgunder and Fruehburgunder, which account for 60% of the production; but brilliant dry wines are also produced. 18.6 hectares.

www.weingut-rudolf-fuerst.de

Picture: Paul Fuerst, Weingut Rudolf Fuerst, at Schloss Johannisberg, Germany. The 2009 Weingut Rudolf Fürst Centgrafenberg Spätburgunder Grosses Gewächs was ranked #4 overall and was #2 of the German wines at the recent Pinot Noir Tasting in London, where German wines performed very strongly: The Tim Atkin Pinot Noir Taste-Off of October 2011: Germany Versus the Rest of the World - German Red Wines Show Stong Performance

Horst Sauer

Weingut Horst Sauer is well known for his noble-sweet wines, but the Sauers also produces top dry wines, from Silvaner and Riesling. 16.5 hectares.

www.weingut-horst-sauer.de

Picture: Horst Sauer in Berlin

Hessische Bergstrasse

None

Mittelrhein

None

Mosel

Fritz Haag

Weingut Fritz Haag produces a broad range of styles, from dry to lusciously noble sweet wines. 15.5 hectares.

www.weingut-fritz-haag.de

Kartaeuserhof

A wine estate in the Ruwer valley, with a long tradition and an exciting history, now led by Christoph Tyrell; he has focused on carefully crafted dry wines. 19 hectares.

www.kartaeuserhof.com

Dr. Loosen

Run and owned by one of the most entrepreneurial German winemakers, Ernst Loosen; in addition to producing outstanding wines in Germany, he makes the famous Eroica in Washington State and has started to produce wine, including Pinot Noir, in Oregon.  22 hectares.

www.drloosen.de

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Ernst Loosen in Washington DC: The Doctor Made a House Call - A Tasting with Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC, USA

Egon Mueller - Scharzhof

The legendary Scharzhof lies on the Saar river. Egon Mueller’s fruity sweet and noble sweet, low alcohol wines are a legend. 16 hectares.

www.scharzhof.de

Picture: Egon Mueller at the 1. International Riesling Symposium in the Rheingau in Germany: 1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany

Joh. Jos. Pruem

For decades now, one of the really exceptional wine makers in Germany. The aging potential of the Weingut J.J. Pruem wines is legendary. 20 hectares.

www.jj.pruem.com

Sankt Urbans Hof

A rather young wine estate that was established about 50 years ago. It is now owned and run by the founder’s grandson, Nik Weis. Most of the elegant, fine and light wines are exported. 33 hectares.

www.urbanshof.com

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Nik Weis in Berlin: Germany’s VDP Wine Estates Celebrate 100th Anniversary in Berlin - Overview

C.v. Schubert’sche Schlosskellerei

A rather large wine estate in the Ruwer valley, known for its outstanding dry and fruity sweet Rieslings.. 30 hectares.

www.vonSchubert.de

Nahe

Herrmann Doennhoff

A leading producer of Riesling wines, including noble-sweet Rieslings.  Owner and winemaker Helmut Doennhoff is a Grand Seigneur of German wine. 25 hectares.

www.doenhoff.com

Picture: Werner Schoenleber and Hellmut Doennhoff in Mainz

Emrich-Schoenleber

Werner Schoenleber has invested a great deal of personal dedication and his promotion to the top rank is definitely warranted. His wines are known to be rich in character and highly esteemed worldwide. 17 hectares.

www.emrich-schoenleber.com

Pfalz

Knipser

A world class producer of both dry white and red wines. Werner Knipser has been experimenting with international red grape varieties for some years. Virtually all wines are fermented in a dry style. 40 hectares.

www.weingut-knipser.de

Rheingau

Kuenstler

Gunter Kuesntler’s wine taps the immense potential of the geological and climatic conditions around Hochheim. ¾ of the vineyard qualify for the Erstes Gewaechs (Grand Cru) classification. 35 hectares.

www.weingut-kuenstler.de

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Gunter Kuenstler at Schloss Johnnisberg. Weingut Kuenstler was founded by my the late Franz Kuenstler. We were both founding members of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim: The Wines of Franz Kuenstler from Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany

Robert Weil

A top producer of Riesling wines, in particular fruity sweet and noble sweet wines, which is well presented in the major wine markets in the world. By far the largest winery among the Feinschmecker top wine makers and one of the largest wineries in Germany. Owned by the Japanese Suntory company and Wilhelm Weil, the fourth generation of the founding family. 80 hectares.

www.weingut-robert-weil.de

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller and Wilhelm Weil. Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany and Tasting with Wilhelm Weil the 2010 Weingut Weil Wines in Kiedrich, Germany and German Riesling and International Grape Varieties – Top Wine Makers Wilhelm Weil and Markus Schneider at Kai Buhrfeindt’s Grand Cru in Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Rheinhessen

Keller

Leader of the Rheinhessen wine renaissance. Has a broad wine portfolio with 60 % accounted for by Riesling and also including the lesser known autochthon Silvaner as well as Spaetburgunder. 15 hectares.

www.keller-wein.de

Wittmann

Leader of the Rheinhessen wine renaissance. Since 2003 only biodynamic wine growing. A broad portfolio with 60% Riesling and also Silvaner and Spaetburgunder. Known for his outstanding dry wines. 25 hectares.

www.wittmannweingut.de

Picture: Christian G.E. Schiller with Philipp Wittmann in Mainz

Saale-Unstrut

None

Sachsen

None

Wuerttemberg

None




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