Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Mittelrhein: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023


The Vinum Weinguide Germany 2023 was released a few weeks ago, presenting Vinum's choice of Germany’s best 1 000 wine producers and reviewing more than 10 700 wines on 1118 pages.

5 out of 5 stars („world class“) were awarded to 18 estates. In addition, there are 31 estates with 4.5 stars, and 66 estates with 4 stars.

See here: Germany's 18 Top Winemakers (With 5/5 Stars) - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland 2023

This posting is the fifth in a series of postings that provide more details on individual wine regions. 

Ahr: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023

Baden: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023

Franken: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023

Hessische Bergstrasse: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023

Mittelrhein: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023 

In the Mittelrhein region, there are no producers in the 5 stars, 4.5 stars and 4 stars groups of the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023. There are 2 producers in the 3.5 stars and 6 producers in the 3 stars groups.   

Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, and I have met both producers in the 3.5 stars group and one producer in the 3 stars group at various occasions over the past years, often at their estate during a Germany wine tour by ombiasy WineTours, which is owned and run by Annette Schiller and based in Washington DC, USA.

Mittlerhein

(London Wine Competiton)

Mittelrhein (literally, “Middle Rhine”) is one of the 13 German wine-growing regions, located along a 120-kilometer stretch of the famous Rhine river. The Middle Rhine is commonly thought of as the touristy portion of the Rhine, and probably the wine growing region that most foreigners think of when they think about German wine. Moreover, Mittelrhein is located to arguably the most famous German wine growing region, Mosel. 

Despite the picturesque scenery of the region – including the Rhine Gorge, recently included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites – wines from Mittelrhein are rarely exported, due to the combination of increasing domestic demand and declining supply. 

The most famous grape varietal from Mittelrhein is Riesling, which accounts for a majority (68%) of all wine produced in the region. The second most popular grape varietal is Spatburgunder, which accounts for just 8.7% of wine production from this region. Trailing far behind are Müller-Thurgau (6.3%) and Kerner (3.3%). 

The Mittelrhein wine region is divided into a total of 2 districts, 11 sites, and 111 vineyards. These vineyards are located on both sides of the Rhine. Of the 11 sites, 10 are located in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, while 1 is located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. 

Similar to other German wine growing regions, white wine grapes are dominant, accounting for 85% of all wine produced in Mittelrhein. Predominantly, this is due to the climate of the region, which favors white wine production. 

Visiting Mittelrhein Producers

Matthias Müller, 3.5 Stars

Picture: Johannes and Matthias Müller, Weingut Matthias Müller in Spay, Mittelrhein. See: Tasting at Weingut Matthias Müller in Spay, Mittelrhein, with Johannes and Matthias Müller - Germany-North Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours

Ratzenberger, 3.5 Stars


Pictures: Tasting and Vineyard Drive at Weingut Ratzenberger in Bacharach, Mittelrhein, with Jochen Ratzenberger - Germany-North Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours: Quintessential Riesling

Toni Jost, 3 Stars

Picture: Peter and Cecilia Jost, Weingut Toni Jost, Bacharach, Mittelrhein. See: Wine Tasting at Weingut Toni Jost in Bacharach, Mittelrhein, with Cecilia Jost – Germany-North Tour by ombiasy WineTours, Germany

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