schiller-wine: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Stefan and Georg Rumpf - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Pictures: Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Stefan and Georg Rumpf - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Here we arrived at the far end of the Nahe region where the Nahe river joins the Rhein river. The Nahe wine region is the region in Germany with the most diverse geological formations making it very difficult to claim a distinctive “Nahe” character of the wines.

Stefan Rumpf was our host. We started the visit with a vineyard tour, followed by a quick cellar tour, where we met Georg Rumpf, who is in charge of making the wines at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf. We then sat down for a tasting.

Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is represented in the US by Michael Skurnik/ Terry Theise and widely available in the country.

Pictures: Arriving, with Georg Rumpf

Weingut Kruger-Rumpf

“In our family, viniculture has been tradition since 1708 - a tradition that we have been cultivating in our vineyards as well as in our manor house which was built back in 1830” said Georg Rumpf. Stefan Rumpf, Georg’s father, brought Weingut Kruger-Rumpf up to where it is today: After completing his studies in agricultural sciences, including stints in Californian wineries, and conducting research at the Geisenheim research institute, Stefan Rumpf took over the estate from his parents in 1984. Up until then, the wines were sold almost entirely in bulk. Stefan Rumpf changed this and started to bottle his wines and to market the bottles himself. Less than 10 years later, in 1992, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf was invited to join the VDP, the about 200 German elite winemakers, a clear sign of what Stefan Rumpf had achieved over the course of just 8 years.

Today, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf has 3 (of 5) grapes in the Gault Millau WeinGuide Deutschland. The vineyard area totals 22 hectares and the annual production is 14.000 cases. The top sites are: Münsterer Dautenpflänzer (slate with sandy loam); Münsterer Pittersberg (slate); Münsterer Rheinberg (weathered quartzite and sandy loam); Binger Scharlachberg Rheinhessen (Rotliegend and porphyry).

Grape varieties: 65% Riesling, 10% each of Silvaner and Weissburgunder, 5% each of Chardonnay, Grauburgunder and Spätburgunder. In fact, Kruger-Rumpf was the first estate in the Nahe region to plant Chardonnay.

Georg Rumpf has taken over the winemaking aspect of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, while his father is now more focusing on sales and general management.

Weingut Krueger-Rumpf sells 70% of its production in Germany and exports the remaining 30%. Accordingly, “80% of the wines we produce are dry wines” said Georg “and 20% are fruity-sweet and noble-sweet wines.”

Pictures: Cellar Tour at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Stefan and Georg Rumpf

Vineyards

Here is a good description of Weingut Rumpf's vineyards, from Skurnik/ Terry Theise.

Münsterer Dautenpflänzer – loesss, subsoil is quartz – Daute means “shoot” and pflänzer means “plant”, an homage to the fact that this was once a nursery. South facing, the older section is steep, and the vineyard is an amphitheater shape.

Münsterer im Pitterberg – slate (Devonian weathered grey) – this is a Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) steep south facing site.

Münsterer Rheinberg – weathered quartzite and sandy loam– southeast facing, from very steep on the higher sections to gentle slopes with richer soils in the lower sections.

Pictures: In the Vineyard with Stefan Rumpf

Binger Scharlachberg Rheinhessen – quartz and red sandstone/red slate – The name means scarlet hill, planted in terraced sections rather than straight slopes. Just across the Nahe to the east of Münster, this vineyard is technically in the Rhienhessen in its far northwest boundary.

Bingerbrücker Abtei im Ruppertsberg – phyllite, which is essentially mica slate – south facing very steep hillside. Abtei means abbey and this vineyard belonged to the abbey at Bingen, home to Hildegard vom Bingen. Most northern vineyard in the Nahe.

Dorsheimer Burgberg – volcanic Permian era conglomerate, and quartz – quite steep and very small vineyard in Dorsheim, one village south of Münster.

Münsterer Kapellenberg – quartz, with some red slate – several sections which are very steep, but similar to Rheinberg where the lower sections have richer soils.

Pictures: Annette and Christian Schiller in the Vineyard with Georg Rumpf during a previous Visit of Weingut Kruger-Rump. See: Wine Dinner with Tour at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf in Münster-Sarmsheim, Nahe, with Georg Rumpf – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Country Restaurant Kruger-Rumpf

One of the (many) assets of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is the lovely country restaurant, which is part of the winery. It opened its doors in 1994. They call it a wine tavern, but for me it is a country restaurant. Whatever you call it, it is a lovely place, where you can have a great time with traditional, upscale cuisine and Kruger-Rumpf wines in the cozy atmosphere of a family-run country restaurant.

The rooms are decorated with appropriate accessories depending on the season. Painted stucco ceilings, historic tiled stoves, wooden floors, warm wall paint as well as furniture in country-house style provide for a comfortable living room atmosphere. The bright rooms are located on the ground floor of the manor house.

In addition, there is an idyllic garden. Especially during the summer, the garden restaurant of the winery provides you with the opportunity to enjoy the evening in a cozy al fresco atmosphere with a hearty meal and a good glass of wine. In fact, we did the tasting and had the dinner in the garden restaurant.

I love to wine and dine at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf. Towards the end of the year, after the harvest, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf always organizes two winemaker dinners. These are exceptional events, because of the wines, the food and the ambiance. When we are in Germany during that period, we always try to participate.

Unfortunately on the 2019 ombiasy tour we did not have the chance to eat at the Kruger-Rumpf Restaurant, becaus it was closed on the day of our visit.

Pictures: Stefan Rumpf and Cornelia Rumpf, with Georg Rumpf, his Wife and Daughter. (A second daughter, Magdalena Johanna, was borne in early 2018)

Tasting

We tasted 12 wines, many in the fruity-sweet style, with Stefan Rumpf. Georg Rumpf also joined us at the end.

Pictures: Tasting

The Wines

2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg Riesling Grosse Lage GG

2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Im Langenberg Riesling Grosse Lage feinherb

2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Erste Lage Kabinett
2018 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Erste Lage Kabinett

2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Dautenpflänzer Riesling Grosse Lage Spätlese
2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg Riesling Grosse Lage Kabinett
2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg Riesling Grosse Lage Spätlese

2018 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg Scheurebe Grosse Lage Spätlese

2017 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Dautenpflänzer Riesling Grosse Lage Auslese

2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Scharlachberg Riesling Grosse Lage Spätlese
2004 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Dautenpflänzer Riesling Grosse Lage Spätlese
2013 Weingut Kruger-Rumpf Dautenpflänzer Riesling Grosse Lage Auslese

Bye-bye

Thanks you very much Stefan for a great visit and tasting.

Pictures: Bye-bye

Dinner at the Altes Zollamt Restaurant in Bingen

Following the visit of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, we drove back to the NH Hotel in Bingen.

The NH-Hotel in Bingen is a 4 star very modern hotel beautifully situated at the confluence of the Nahe and Rhine rivers, with stunning views across the Rhine to the vineyards and castles on the Rheingau side.

Pictures: NH Hotel in Bingen at the Rhine River

From there we walked along the Rhine River to the Altes Zollamt Restaurant, where we had a casual dinner.