Friday, December 30, 2022

Sachsen: 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 tenth 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  

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

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

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

Rheingau: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023V

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

Saale-Unstrut: The Top Winemakers - Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023

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

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

In the Sachsen region, there is no producer with 5/5, 4.5/5, 4/5 stars in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland/ Germany 2023. Thers is 1 producer with 3.5/5 stars. There are 3 producers with 3/5 stars. There are 2 producers with 2.5/5 stars and there is 1 producer with 2/5 stars. 

Annette Schiller, ombiasy WineTours, and I have met 6 of these 7 producers 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.

Sachsen

(London Wine Competition)

Saxony, the third-smallest German wine region, is primarily located along the banks of the Elbe River. It is also one of only two German wine regions located within the boundaries of former East Germany. Officially located within the German federal state of Saxony, this wine region is sometimes referred to as “the Elbe Valley.”

Geographically, Saxony is located in southeastern Germany, near the border with the Czech Republic. It has a relatively temperate climate (especially for Germany), thanks primarily to the moderating influence of the Elbe. In terms of soil quality for wine grapes, Saxony is most similar to Austria’s Wachau region. The microclimate, however, is decidedly northern, and that has largely dictated which grape varietals to plant along the hillsides of the Elbe Valley.

While Riesling is a popular white grape varietal in Saxony, it is not the most popular. That honor goes to Müller-Thurgau, which accounts for 18.4% of all wine production, as compared to 14.5% for Riesling. Other popular grape varietals include Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), at 11.9%, and Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir), at 8.1%. Nearly all wines (90%) from this region are characterized and labeled as dry wines.

The winemaking tradition in Saxony dates back to 1161, when winemakers gathered in the city of Meissen. For nearly 1,000 years, then, the wine has been part of the unique cultural and socio-economic life of Saxony. Wines from this region might not be well known internationally, but they have a ready domestic market for German wine drinkers who are fans of Riesling and Müller-Thurgau wines.

Visiting Sachsen Producers
 
Martin Schwarz - 3.5/5 Stars 
 
Picture: Martin Schwarz, Weingut Martin Schwarz, and Annette Schiller. See: Dresden is the New Unlikely Place for Fine Barolo Wine: Weingut Martin Schwarz – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
Schloss Wackerbarth - 3/5 Stars

Picture: Visit and Tasting at the Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul, Sachsen - Germany-East Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Art, Culture, History - Berlin, Saale-Unstrut, Sachsen, Württemberg, Franken 
 
Klaus Zimmerling - 3/5 Stars

Picture: Malgorzata Chodakoska (Weingut Klaus Zimmerling) at the Foot of the Rysselkuppe Vineyard. See: Visit of Weingut Klaus Zimmerling: The Wines of Klaus Zimmerling and the Art of his Wife Malgorzata Chodakoska - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015) 
 
Aust - 2.5/5 Stars

Picture: Karl Friedrich Aust, Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust, Sachsen, Germany. See: Weingut Karl Friedrich Aust in Radebeul, Sachsen: Tour and Lunch with Tasting – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
 
Schloss Proschwitz - 2.5/5 Stars

Picture: Visit, Tasting and Dinner at Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe in Zadel, Sachsen, with Georg Prinz zur Lippe - Germany-East Tour 2016 by ombiasy WineTours 
 
Schuh - 2/5 Stars 

Picture: Vineyard Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schuh in Coswig, Sachsen, with Katharina Pollmer-Schuh and Matthias Schuh 

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