Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Martin Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen, with Philipp Henke - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours took place from Monday, June 19, 2023 to Thursday, June 29, 2023. 

We visited 3 wineries in Sachsen: 

Weingut Martin Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen.
Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe (VDP) in Meissen.
Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul.

At Weingut Martin Schwarz, Philipp Henke was our host. He showed us the vineyards, the cellar and led a seated tasting.

Sachsen

Sachsen is Germany's easternmost and one of the smallest wine-growing regions, with only 1250 acres, at 51 degrees north latitude. Winegrowing has a tradition of over 800 years here. It was first mentioned in 1161 and, in its heyday in the 17th century, covered an area of 13,000 acres. As in the Saale-Unstrut region, quality wines can be produced here due to a special climate pattern. Sufficient rain, a continental climate, an average of 1,600 hours of sunshine, a constant alternation of daytime warmth and nighttime
coolness create ideal conditions for the growing and slow ripening of the grapes which ensures the development of rich aromas and bouquet substances in the wines. 

The vineyards straddle the Elbe River. Main winegrowing areas are around Meissen, Radebeul, and Dresden. The steep slopes are of weathered granite and gneiss with a loess layer. 82% of the vineyards is planted with white varieties, such as Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and the unique Elbling, Gutedel, and Goldriesling, an autochthon variety found only in Sachsen.

Weingut Martin Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen

Martin Schwarz belongs to the group of ambitious winemakers in Sachsen. Back in the day, when sipping a 1975 Château Margaux on a park bench while skipping Latin classes at school, he got hooked onto the world of wine and decided to make wine his profession. He interned at the VDP winery Dr. Heger in Baden to gain first practical experience. In 1996 he graduated from the famous Geisenheim enological University in the Rheingau. A prominent winery in Sachsen was looking for a cellar master and Martin took on that challenge. For 16 years he worked as winemaker at the VDP winery Schloss Proschwitz before he started out on his own in 2013. 

Today he owns 17 acres in one the best vineyards sites on the steep slopes of the Elbe River. His wines show a very individual character and convince with their complexity and finesse. In 2022 he became
member of the VDP.

Dresden Is The New Unlikely Place for Fine Barolo Wine (Newsweek, 2015)

The last time, we visited Weingut Martin Schwarz, an article in the weekly Newsweek about Weingut Martin Schwartz with the "Dresden is the New Unlikely Place for Barolo Wine" had received a lot of attention in the international wine scene. We also met Martin Schwarz during the visit by ombiasy WineTours.

Newsweek by Elisabeth Braw 4/17/15: Martin Schwarz has only 30 bottles left of his new wine. Despite their heftprice y €50 tag, 70 have already been snapped up since the batch went on sale a few months ago. That may be because it’s the first-ever barolo grown in the East German state of Saxony. “Saxonian barolo” is what Schwarz jokingly labels his pioneering creation, made of Piedmontese nebbiolo grapes, since barolo itself is a Piedmontese trademark.

Pictures: Meeting Martin Schwarz

But the grapes are the same. Until recently, nebbiolo grapes grew only in regions like Piedmont in northern Italy. Saxony, bordering Poland and the Czech Republic, is Germany’s smallest wine region, and for eight centuries vintners here have mostly planted Müller-Thurgau and riesling, earning a well-deserved reputation for excellent dry whites. But with climate change pushing temperatures up, Schwarz decided to try out the red Italian nebbiolo grape here in Radebeul outside Dresden.

“The mountain slopes here hadn’t been used for grape-growing for a very long time, but I realised that the sunnier side would be perfect for nebbiolo,” explains the 52-year-old. He could not have asked for a more picturesque laboratory: his newly planted slopes below the palace Neufriedstein overlook Radebeul’s charming medieval city centre of small shops and neatly paved streets.

Though Radebeulers refer to their city as the Nice of Saxony, because of its mild climate and stunning scenery, planting Italian grapes this far north was a risky venture. Temperatures may not reach quite the levels common on the south side of the Alps, and climate change may also bring a risk in the form of floods.

“I must say I was surprised the grapes ripened,” Schwarz recalls of his first harvest, in 2012. One year later, he filled his first batch of bottles – the 100 now on sale – and from last year’s harvest 100 litres are now maturing in his cellar.

Vintners in the traditional German wine-growing regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg are also beginning to experiment with southern European grapes. According to figures from the German Wine Institute, planting of cabernet franc – a traditional Bordeaux grape – more than doubled between 2010 and 2013. Trade journal Wine Economics and Policy says climate change is causing monumental changes in wine production, with premium wine production moving north.

“What we’re doing now here in the north would not have been possible 20 years ago,” reflects Schwarz. “For vintners in Germany, climate change is a good thing. But I do feel for vintners in southern Europe. They can keep planting their grapes, but they’ll get a wine with higher alcohol content.”

Indeed, according to Wine Economics and Policy, Europe’s centuries-old viticulture will undergo an enormous shake-up as entire regions along the coast of Italy, Greece and France become unsuitable for wine-growing altogether, while southern England turns into the new Champagne. A generation from now, pinot noir lovers may well be drinking only the finest Saxonian bottles.

Right now, Schwarz can’t think that far ahead, busy as he is with his current grapes and bottles. “Saxonian barolo is lighter than barolo from Piedmont, but you recognise the nebbiolo straight away,” he says. “It’s a typical nebbiolo; it makes for a very elegant wine.” 

Visit in 2023: Arriving

In the Vineyard

In the Cellar

Tasting

Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours (Released and Forthcoming Postings)

Announcement: Exciting ombiasy Wine Tours in 2023

ombiasy WineTours: Wine Tour Schedule 2023 - Austria, Germany/East, Burgundy/ Champagne, Germany/ North

Announcement: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023

Announcement: The Wine, Concert, and History Tour - Germany-East 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - Monday, June 19 - Thursday, June 29, 2023 

Summery: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

City Tours: Berlin and Potsdam - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Steak Tartare at Restaurant Borchardt, Berlin-Mitte - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Born in Salzatal-Höhnstedt, Saale-Unstrut, with Elisabeth and Günter Born - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Niche Wine Producer Weingut Herr & Frau Lüttmer, in Vitzenburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Klaus Lüttmer - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Landesweingut Kloster Pforta in Bad Kösen, Saale-Unstrut, with Paula Löber, 2022 Wine Princess of  Bad Kösen - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

In Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut: Concert and Tour of the Organ at St. Wenzel Church with the Organist and Tour of the Naumburg Cathedral - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Pawis (VDP) in Freyburg, Saale-Unstrut, with Christian Pawis - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Wine Pairing Dinner at Restaurant Zufriedenheit in Naumburg, Saale Unstut, with the Wines of Weingut Hey (VDP) and Weingut Böhme und Töchter (VDP) - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Gussek in Naumburg, Saale-Unstrut, with André Gussek - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Leipzig: City Tour and Concert at Gewandhaus Leipzig with the full Gewandhaus Orchestra - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schwarz (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen, with Philipp Henke - Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours

Wine and Music: "Martin Luther Lunch" at the Historic Vincenz Richter Restaurant, Weingut Vincenz Richter, in Meissen with Senior Boss Gottfried Herrlich and the Music of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant/ Weingut Vincenz Richter in Meissen 

Tour and Dinner at Weingut Schloss Proschwitz - Prinz zur Lippe in Zadel, Sachsen, with Georg Prinz zur Lippe - Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Proschwitz, Prinz zur Lippe (VDP) in Meissen, Sachsen, with Björn Probst, Vineyard and Sales Manager

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

Tour and Tasting at Sächsisches Staatsweingut Schloss Wackerbarth in Radebeul, Sachsen

Guided Private Tour of the Royal Palace in Dresden, Sachsen

Wine and Opera in Dresden: Mozart at Semper Opera and the Best Wines of Sachsen at Wine Bar Weinzentrale in Dresden-Neustadt, with Owner/ Sommelier Jens Pietzonka – Germany-East Tour 2017 by ombiasy WineTours

Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi at Semperoper Dresden, Sachsen

Visit of the Deutsch-Deutsches Museum in Mödlareuth and Lunch at Turnhallen Gaststätte in Töpen, Bayern

Schiller’s Favorites: 2 Legendary Wine Taverns in Würzburg – Juliusspital and Bürgerspital

Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Würzburg

Concert (Bamberger Symphoniker) at the Würzburg Residence in the Imperial Ballroom (Mozart Festival)

Tasting at Niche Producer Weingut Seufert in Iphofen, Franken, with Laura Seufert

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wirsching in Iphofen in Franken with General Manager Uwe Matheus – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Tour and Tasting at Weingut Wirsching (VDP) in Iphofen, Franken, with Dr. Uwe Matheus

Tasting at Weingut Weltner (VDP) in Rödelsee, Franken, with Paul Weltner

Wine Dinner at Weinstuben Weingut Juliusspital in Würzburg, Franken

Walk in the Vineyard, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Rudolf May (VDP) in Retzstadt, Franken, with Rudolph and Benedikt May

Light Lunch at Restaurant Rose in Bretzfeld-Blitzfeld, with Owner/ Chef Willi Carle

Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Fürst Hohenlohe-Öhringen (VDP) in Öhringen-Verrenberg, Württemberg, with the New Managing Director Carl-Julius Cromme

Walk in the Vineyard and Tasting at Weingut Schlossgut Hohenbeilstein (VDP) in Beilstein, Württemberg

Dinner at Restaurant Lamm Hebsack in Remshalden, Württemberg, with Owners Markus (Kitchen) und Sylvia Polinski (Service)

Tasting at Weingut Beurer (VDP) in Kernen, Württemberg, with Jochen Beurer

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Rainer Schnaitmann at Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann in Fellbach, Württemberg – Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), Germany

Cellar Tour and Tasting Weingut Schnaitmann (VDP) in Fellbach, Württemberg, with Rainer Schnaitmann

Light Lunch at Rotenberger Weingärtle in Stuttgart

Tasting at Up and Coming Weingut Lassak in Hessigheim, Würrtemberg, with Stefanie and Fabian Lassak 

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Graf Neipperg in Schwaigern, Württemberg – Germany-East Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Dinner at Restaurant Zum Alten Rentamt at Weingut Graf Neipperg (VDP) in Schwaigern, Württemberg, with Neipperg Wines from Württemberg and Bordeaux

Tasting at Weingut Dautel in Württemberg with Christian Dautel - Germany-East Wine and Art Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Dautel (VDP) in Bönnigheim, Württemberg, with Ernst and Christian Dautel