Overview: Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours took place from August 28 – Friday, September 06, 2024. We spent 10 days visiting top wine estates in five wine regions, tasting fabulous Rieslings and Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder), meeting world-renowned wine makers, travelling through the world’smost beautiful wine regions, cruising on the romantic Rhein river, looking at dizzying steep vineyards along the Rhein and Mosel rivers, and delving deep into German history and culture: Rheinhessen • Rheingau • Mittelrhein • Mosel • Nahe

 

At the end of the tour, I released 10 postings on facebook, providing a day-by-day overview of the tour. This posting combines the 10 facebook postings, with up to 3 photos per event.

 

Day 1. Rheinhessen

 

The tour started at 12:30 in Wiesbaden. 

 

Following an introduction by Annette Schiller, we visited 2 wineries in Rheinhessen. 

 

First Weingut Braunewell where we were received by Stefan Braunewell 

 

and second Weingut Thoerle, were we met Johannes Thörle and Christoph Thoerle. 

 

 

The most interesting day ended with a Grauburgunder wine-pairing dinner at Lumen * Restaurant - Café - Bar in Wiesbaden. 

 

 

We were staying at the Radisson Blu Schwarzer Bock Hotel, Wiesbaden

 

Day 2. Rheingau

 

This and the following day, we explored the Rheingau wine region, by many considered the jewel in the crown because of its legendary aristocratic history of world-famous wine estates.

 

We started with a tasting at @Weingut Eva Fricke (a newcomer with many fans in the US) with Eva Fricke, 

 

 

followed by a tour and tasting at Wein- und Sektgut BARTH (a leading German Riesling and Sekt producer) with Mark P. Barth and Alexia Putze, who I still know from her days at the VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter. 

 

 

The afternoon was devoted to @Kloster Eberbach (founded by Cistercian monks at about the same time as the famous Château de Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy). 

 

 

Head Winemaker Kathrin Puff (who took over after making wine in Asia for quite a while) gave us a tour of the old Steinberg vineyard and the new winemaking facilities and led a tasting of the wines of @Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach.

 

 

The day ended with a high-end and very personal wine tasting dinner at Hotel & Restaurant Kronenschlösschen with Weingut Balthasar Ress senior boss Stefan Ress. Stefan presented the wines of his estate. Head-sommelier Florian Richter (Best German Sommelier 2024) and his team poured the wines. Chef @Roland Gorgosilich prepared a Michelin star level (if not 2 MICHELIN Guide stars) menu for us. Owner Johanna Ullrich led the service team.

 

Day 3. Rheingau.

 

This was our second day in the Rheingau. 

 

We started the day in Rüdesheim at the winery of one of the forefathers of the new terroir driven German wine classification, the late Bernhard Breuer (Weingut Georg Breuer), which is now in the hands of Bernhard's daughter Theresa Breuer. 

 

 

At @Weingut Schloss Johannisberg, one of the oldest Riesling wine estates (where the first Spätlese/ late harvest was made), following a vineyard tour and a tour of the very old cellar, we enjoyed a portfolio tasting, including Schloss Johannisbergs new ultra-premium dry Goldkapsel wine, which was released for Euro 210. 

 

 

At lunch on the banks of the Rhein river at Allendorf am Rhein we bumped in the Weingut Familie Allendorf family and had an impromptu tasting with Ulrich Allendorf of the Allendorf GGs. These #worldclass wines are made by his nephew Max J. Schönleber, who has recently taken over the winery. 

 

 

The forth winery of the day was Peter Jakob Kühn, by many considered to be the #1 producer in the Rheingau, if not in the whole of Germany, currently. We were received by the 12th generation of the family, Peter Bernhard Kühn. Stefan Reinhardt of the Robert Parker Wine Advocate was also tasting there, but after us. 

 

 

In the evening, Annette and I went with some of the group to the Hattenheimer Probierstand on the banks of the Rhein river where they were pouring wines from the iconic produce Langwerth von Simmern, which went out of business a few years ago.

 

Day 4. Rheingau+Mittelrhein

 

The day started with an epic, 3-hour tasting with August Kesseler at @Weingut August Kesseler in Assmannshausen, arguably the red wine capital of Germany. August poured 21 #worldclass wines, first red and then white. Janet Cam, who was on the tour, called the estate "the DRC of Germany". 

 

 

We spent the rest of the day in the Mittelrhein. At Kaub, we crossed the Rhein by ferry boat 

 

 

in order to have lunch, followed by an extensive tasting, at VDP-Weingut Lanius-Knab in Oberwesel. 

 

 

At the end of the visit Jörg Lanius took us to his vineyards from where we had a spectacular view of the Rhein valley.

 

 

In the late afternoon, we enjoyed a cruise on the Rhein with its banks dotted with castles, fortresses and ruins dating from the middle ages.

 

 

The day ended in Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhein and Mosel rivers.

 

 Day 5. Koblenz + Winningen

We spent the morning at the mighty Fortress Ehrenbreitstein, overlooking the "Deutsches Eck" and the Rhein and Mosel valleys. 

 

 

For lunch, we went to @Verbene Bistro in Koblenz, the sister restaurant of the Michelin-starred Restaurant Verbene. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by Chef Tim Johnston and an impromptu tasting of the wines of @Weingut Madame Flöck Madameflockwines (Winningen/ Mosel) poured by owner/ winemaker @Robert Kane , who helps out at Verbene Bistro occasionally. "Founded by the American Robert Kane and Canadian Derek-Paul Labelle with a mission to sustainably craft crazy natural dry Red and White wines that are made as sustainably as these two unsustainable expats know how to." We were greeted by Michelin-starred Verbene Restaurant Chef/ Owner David Weigang and partner Verena Schimmel.

 

We stayed overnight and had dinner in Winningen in the Terrassenmosel. There was a Weinfest this weekend. We went to the Weinfest and tasted the top wines of Winningen at the Vinothek, including Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein VDP.Weingut Knebel Weingut Materne & Schmitt cc Janina Schmitt- Kane.

Day 6. Mosel 

 

In the morning, we toured Eltz Castle, a truely fairy-tale medieval castle in the hills above the Mosel river.

 

We had lunch at Restaurant Heim, which has a Michelin Bib Gourmand, in Reil.

 

 

After lunch, we first visited Weingut Melsheimer in Reil, where we were received by Owner/ Winemaker Thorsten Melsheimer. After Thorsten took over the 200-year-old family winery in 1994, he moved it to biodynamic principles and received the Demeter certification in 2013. Daniel Hubbard, along with Weingut Christmann, represents Weingut Melsheimer in the USA. 

 

 

The second visit in the afternoon was at Clemens Busch in Pünderich, arguably one of the top 5 producers in the Mosel. We go back a long time with Clemens and Rita, but they were on vacation. Nevertherless Oda did a brilliant job presenting the #worldclass wines of Clemens Busch.

 

 

The day ended with a couple of glasses of Weingut Dr. Thanisch, Erben Müller-Burggraef wines at DEINHARD‘s Hotel in Bernkastel-Kues (a new hotel where we stayed this and the following 2 nights) both owned by Peter Mertes, the largest wine producer in Germany.

 

Day 7. Mosel

 

We spent a full day in the middle mosel visiting 4 estates.

 

First, Weingut Dr. Loosen. Ernie was in Beaune, but @Anne Juchem did an excellent job showcasing the wines of Weingut Dr. Loosen. They are available in the USA through Loosen Bros USA 

 

Second, Weingut Max Ferd Richter in Brauneberg, an iconic top 20 estate founded in 1680, also widely available in the USA. Senior owner/ winemaker Dirk Richter led us through the portfolio of the estate. Junior owner/ winemaker Constantin Richter was working in the cellar, getting ready for the 2024 harvest. 

 

 

Third, @Weingut Hermann Ludes in Thörnich, whose wines are brought to the USA by Vom Boden in NYC. Julian Ludes led the tasting in a cozy garden hut. 

 

 

Fourth, Weingut Günther Steinmetz in Brauneberg, where we were received by Sammie Watson-Steinmetz, the wife of winemaker @Stephan Steinmetz and enjoyed a wonderful tasting in the living room of the Steinmetz home. Their wines are represented in Virginia by Williams Corner Wine 

 

We had a 2-course lunch at @Restaurant Weisser Bär in Mühlheim, right on the banks of the Mosel.

 

Day 8. Upper Mosel. Luxembourg. Saar.

 

Today, we went to a relatively unknown part of the Mosel, the Upper Mosel, had lunch in Luxembourg, spent the afternoon at the Saar and finished the day at Restaurant Dian im Deinhard's in Bernkastel-Kues with an Asian wine-pairing dinner orchestrated by Janet Cam and Annette Schiller.

 

Southern Mosel: The Elbling grape is the star at @Weingut matthias Hild in Wincheringen, close to the border with Luxembourg. We were received by @Matthias Hild, who looks a bit like a hippie from the 1960s and his son @jonas Hild. We regularly enjoy the Hild Sekt brut Elbling in Washington DC, imported by Vom Boden in NYC.

 

 

Luxembourg: Just a stone's throw away from Weingut Hild was Koeppchen Bistro-Brasserie in Luxembourg were we enjoyed a brasserie-lunch with wines from Luxembourg.

 

 

Saar: At Van Volxem Weingut & Vinothek in Wiltingen we were back in the well-known part of the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Owner Roman Niewodniczanski was away in Nice/ France buying cheese for the GG presentation the following weekend, but @Lukas Büchner gave us a highly educational and entertaining tour and tasting of the #worldclass Van Volxem wines. 

 

 

Asian themed wine paring dinner: We ended the day at Restaurant Dian im Deinhard's in Bernkastel-Kues with an Asian wine-pairing dinner orchestrated by Janet Cam and Annette Schiller. The wines -dry - off-dry - red were from Weingut Forstmeister-Geltz Zilliken Dorothee Zilliken Weingut Selbach-Oster Hannah Selbach Weingut Immich-Batterieberg Gernot Kollmann 

Day 9. Nahe.

 

We left the Mosel in the morning and moved to the Nahe.

 

The morning we spent at Weingut Dönnhoff in Oberhausen. Anne Dönnhoff showed us the #worldclass wines of Dönnhoff, both dry and fruity sweet, pairing younger with older vintages, while Cornelius Dönnhoff was preparing for the harvest. We were the whole morning at Weingut Dönnhoff. One of the best tastings of the whole tour. The Dönnhoff wines are available in the US through Skurnik Wines & Spirits Harmon Skurnik.

 

 

We had a nice, quick lunch at Hermannshöhle-Restaurant Weck in Niederhausen. Their wine list is amazing, but we could not take advantage of it. 

 

 

In the afternoon we started at Weingut Korrell in Bad Kreuznach. Sonja Reinbold, Managing Director, who I knew from her days at the VDP.Die Prädikatsweingüter, together with Owner/ Winemaker Martin Korrell, conducted a great portfolio tasting for us. cc Britta Korrell. Korell just started to export to the US through Veritable Wines & Estates Julia Wolf Jesse Becker. Annette and I presented the Korell wines, with other Veritable wines, at last year's American Wine Society National Convention in St. Louis. See: The 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens http://schiller-wine.blogspot.com/.../the-2023-american...

 

 

Before dinner, we checked in at the NH Hotel in Bingen. The hotel is at the Rhein River, just opposite of the famous Rüdesheimer Berg vineyard. The view is breathtaking. 

 

 

We ended the day with a wine-pairing dinner at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf. Senior boss Stefan Rumpf joined us at the table and introduced the estate and the wines to us. The estate is now led by Georg Rumpf and his wife Julia Rumpf. The tavern of Weingut Kruger-Rumpf is a gem. Annette and I love to sit there in the evening and enjoy the food, the #wordlclass wines and the ambiance. It is just an hour away from Frankfurt. The Kruger Weingut Kruger-Rumpf wines are available in the US through Skurnik Wines & Spirits Harmon Skurnik.

 

Day 10. Nahe.

 

This was our last day. 

 

We visited Schlossgut Diel in the morning, where we were received by the 7th generation owners/ winemakers, Sylvain Taurisson Diel and Caroline Diel. The 8th generation was at school. From there, the bus took us to Frankfurt International Airport.

 

At Schlossgut Diel we enjoyed a fantastic tasting of the Weingut Diel #worldclass wines with Sylvain Taurisson Diel, first in the courtyard of the old castle and then in a private tasting room. We then spent some time with Caroline Diel who was in the process of bottling in the wine cellar. The wines of Schlossgut Diel are available in the US through Skurnik Wines & Spirits Harmon Skurnik

 

The tour ended at noon in Frankfurt at the airport.

Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours: Already Released and Forthcoming Postings

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Braunewell in Essenheim, Rheinhessen, with Stefan Braunewell - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Thörle in Saulheim, Rheinhessen, with Christoph Thörle, Johannes Thörle and Uta Thörle - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Grauburgunder (French: Pinot Gris - Italian: Pinot Grigio) and Dinner at Restaurant Lumen - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Eva Fricke in Eltville, Rheingau, with Eva Fricke - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Wein- und Sektgut Barth (VDP) in Hattenheim, Rheingau, with Mark Barth and Alexia Putze - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at the Abbey Tavern and Guided Tour of Eberbach Abbey (founded by Cistercian monks at about the same time as the famous Château de Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy) - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Kloster Eberbach (VDP) in Eltville, Rheingau, with Head-winemaker Katrin Puff - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Wine-pairing Dinner with Wines of Weingut Balthasar Ress at Restaurant Kronenschlösschen, with Weingut Balthasar Ress Senior Boss Stefan Ress, Kronenschlösschen Head-sommelier Florian Richter  (Best German Sommelier 2024 - Sommelier Union), Chef Roland Gorgosilich and Owner Johanna Ullrich - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Georg Breuer in Rüdesheim, Rheingau, with Theresa Breuer - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Schloss Johannisberg (VDP), with Dieter Salomon - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch and Impromptu Tasting of Weingut Familie Allendorf Wines with Ulrich Allendorf and Max J. Schönleber at Restaurant Allendorf am Rhein - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Peter Jakob Kühn (VDP) in Oestrich-Winkel, Rheingau, with Peter Bernhard Kühn - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut August Kesseler (VDP) in Assmannshausen, Rheingau, with August Kesseler - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch, Tasting and Vineyard Tour at Weingut Lanius Knab (VDP) in Oberwesel, Mittelrhein, with Jörg Lanius - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cruise on the Rhein, from Boppard to Koblenz, passing the famous Loreley Rock - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour of the Fortress Ehrenbreitstein - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch and Impromptu Wine Tasting of the Wines of Weingut Madame Flöck, with Weingut Madame Flöck Owner/ Winemaker Robert Wade, Verbene Bistro Chef Tim Johnston, Restaurant Verbene Michelin starred Chef/ Owner David Weigang and Partner Verena Schimmel - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at the 2024 Weinfest in Winningen - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tour of Eltz Castle, a True Fairy-tale Medieval Castle in the Hills above the Mosel, Built more than 850 Years ago by the Eltz Family - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Restaurant Heim in Hotel Reiler Hof (Michelin Bib Gourmand) in Reil - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Melsheimer in Reil, Middle Mosel, with Thorsten Melsheimer - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Clemens Busch (VDP) in Pünderich, Middle Mosel, with Oda Berthold - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Weingut Dr. Thanisch, Erben Müller-Burggraef Wines and Overnight Stay at the Brand-new, High-end Deinhard’s Hotel in Bernkastel-Kues - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting Weingut Dr.Loosen (VDP) in Bernkastel-Kues, Middle Mosel, with Anne Juchem - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Max Ferdinand Richter in Mülheim, Middle Mosel, with Dirk Richter - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Hermann Ludes in Thörnich, Middle Mosel, with Julian Ludes - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut Günther Steinmetz in Brauneberg, Middle Mosel, with Sammy Steinmetz - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours 

Tasting at Weingut Matthias Hild in Wincheringen, Upper Mosel, with Matthias and Jonas Hild - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch with Wines from Luxemburg at Koeppchen Bistro-Brasserie in Wormeldange-Haut in Luxembourg - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Van Volxem (VDP) in Wiltingen, Saar, with Lukas Büchner - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Asian Themed Wine-pairing Dinner at Dian's in Bernkastel-Kues, led by Janet Cam and Annette Schiller - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting at Weingut H. Dönnhoff (VDP), Oberhausen, Nahe, with Anne Dönnhoff - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Lunch at Hermannshöhle Restaurant Weck in Niederhausen - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours 

Tasting at Weingut Korrell Johanneshof in Bad Kreuznach, Nahe, with Sonja Reinbold and Martin Korell - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Wine-pairing Dinner at Restaurant Kruger-Rumpf, Weingut Kruger-Rumpf (VDP), with Stefan Rumpf - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours

Tasting and Bottling at Schlossgut Diel (VDP) in Rümmelsheim, Nahe, with Sylvain and Caroline Diel - Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by ombiasy WineTours