20 Years Kühling-Gillot & BattenfeldSpanier.
Annette Schiller Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours and I enjoyed a wonderful 20-year anniversary tasting of the #worldclass wines of @Weingut Battenfeld Spanier and @Weingut Kuehling Gillot in Hohen-Suelzen/ Rheinhessen/ Germany with the owners/ winemakers (and our dear friends) H.o. Spanier and Carolin Spanier.
They got married 20 years ago and this was the starting point of their amazing success story.
Yesterday was also the inauguration of their posh walk-in tasting room in Hohen-Suelzen.
Among the many guests, we enjoyed in particular meeting again the father of Carolin, Roland Gillot, the "King of Noble Sweet".
All wines of both wineries are now produced in the impressive cellar of Hohen-Suelzen, under the joint leadership of H.O. (winemaking) and Carolin (sales).
We also appreciated the presence of guest producers, notably @Pietro Ratti of @Renato Ratti/ Barolo.
In the USA, the wines of @Battenfeld Spanier and @Kuehling Gillot are available through The German Wine Collection in California, with @Amy Waller and Jenna Fields. I am looking forward to welcoming Carolin soon in Washington DC.
20 Years of Battenfeld Spanier and Kühling-Gillot (Press Release) A shared story – woven from origin, conviction and togetherness, and from a trust greater than any certainty From the very beginning, our goal was clear: to belong among the finest wine estates and to follow the quiet yet unwavering desire to create terroir-driven wines that stand the test of time. This ambition was never loud, but deeply rooted within us. It guided our decisions, accompanied us throughout the years, and became our inner compass – even when the path was often challenging. We consciously chose the long road. Patience over haste. The continuous pursuit of quality over quick success.
Great wines are not born in moments, but over years – through experience, setbacks, and the courage to begin again. And through respect for what has been entrusted to us.
At the heart of our work, from the very beginning, have been the terroirs of the Roter Hang and the Zellertal – the most precious assets of our viticulture. Early on, we recognized the responsibility that comes with exceptional vineyard sites. Places that taught us that origin means responsibility. That one does not simply make use of it, but must approach it – with humility, perseverance, and an open mind.
To be in the right place at the right time may have been fortune. But above all, it required the willingness to invest everything – and to recognize the great terroirs of the Roter Hang and the Zellertal at an early stage: time, energy, doubt, hope. And the conviction that these sites tell a story worth being heard.
Looking back today, our story – as we tell it – truly began 20 years ago. Everything we are today, we have built through our own efforts – without ready-made concepts, without certainty. But with trust in one another and the firm intention to grow together. Carolin’s deep understanding of the quiet greatness of her family’s vineyards at the Roter Hang and H.O.’s vision for the radiant clarity of the Zellertal have merged into something greater than the sum of its parts.
Ecology, sustainability and biodynamics are not concepts for us, but an expression of our attitude. They reflect how we want to work: attentively, responsibly, and with a view toward the future. We do not work only for the next vintage, but for the future of our origins. We are filled with pride of how much has developed in such a short time – carried by knowledge, openness and mutual respect.
Looking ahead is an integral part of who we are. We see our task in further developing the great terroirs on limestone and Rotliegend soils, and in creating wines that express origin, show character, and accompany over time. At the same time, we aim to position German Riesling internationally as one of the great white wines of the world – quietly, but with confidence. A milestone in this regard has certainly been the recognition our wines have received since being made available through the Place de Bordeaux.
We are especially moved that our children, Louis and Leopold, wish to pursue their own paths in wine – ready to step into our footsteps. Not because they have to, but because they want to. Because they enjoy asking questions, thinking anew, and carrying forward our values. It is a feeling of continuity that fills us with gratitude.
What defines us today has grown over many years: through closeness, through work, through trust in the power of origin – and through the conviction that great wines are always the result of strong togetherness, where people believe in something together.
H.O. Spanier and Carolin Spanier-Gillot
Arriving
Tasting Room
Carolin showed us their new walk-in tasting room.
Tasting in the Cellar
Guest: Pietro Ratti of Renato Ratti/ Barolo
Lunch
With Paula Sidore/ Trin Magazine/ Jancis Robinson
and Sybille and Swen Bultmann/ Atable, Freinsheim
.jpg)
Cellar Tour
Roland Gillot
Overview: Germany Rhein-Mosel-Nahe 2024 by Ombiasy Public Relations and Wine Tours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings
Summary of Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller: Wine, Food, History, Culture
Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours
Summary: From Lyon to Paris - Total Immersion in Burgundy and Champagne 2023 by ombiasy WineTours (July 02 - 13, 2023)
Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
The 2025 American Wine Society National Conference in Chantilly/ Virginia/ USA, with Annette and Christian Schiller: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France
Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller
The New German Wine Law of 2021 - Tasting at the German Wine Society (Washington DC Chapter), presented by Annette Schillerschiller-wine Blog of Christian Schiller Top Washington DC Alcohol Blog (December, 2024)
2024 Annual Meeting of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, a 45 Years Old Wine Brotherhood in the Famous Wine Village Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany, with Annette Schiller, Founding Member, and Christian Schiller
Masterclass - The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference March 2024
Dinner at JAN in Munich, Germany, with Jan Hartwig, one of the ten German 3-star Michelin Chefs (September 2024)
Hans Rebholz, Weingut Oekonomierat Rebholz, Pfalz, Presenting his Wines at the German Embassy in Washington DC, USA (January 2025)
2025 Rieslingfeier Gala Dinner in New York City, Sky Loft, 32nd Floor of 50 Hudson Yard, with 15 #worldclass Winemakers from Germany + Austria and Estimated 300 Wines, many 20, 30, 40 Years old, many Larger Format and almost all Ultra-premium
Christian Schiller: Re-elected to the Board of the "Weinfeder", the Association of German Wine Journalists (January 2025) Annette and Christian Schiller Awarded German Wine Society Silver Medallion for their Superior Knowledge of German Wine (USA, Washington DC, December 12, 2025) of the Washington DC Chapter of the German Wine Society USA (via Zoom), February 21, 2026
Summary of Loire Valley 2025 by ombiasy WineTours, led by Annette Schiller: Wine, Food, History, Culture
Summary: Germany "From Berlin to Frankfurt" 2023 (Saale Unstrut, Sachsen, Franken, Württemberg) by ombiasy WineTours
Summary: From Lyon to Paris - Total Immersion in Burgundy and Champagne 2023 by ombiasy WineTours (July 02 - 13, 2023)
Summary: Austria 2023 by ombiasy WineTours - 12 Days: May 28 - June 08, 2023
Christian Schiller`s SCHILLER-WINE Blog on Corking Wines` Top 101 Wine Writers of 2020 List
2022 Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in McLean, Virginia, USA
Massive Tasting of Bordeaux 1982 - the Vintage that made Robert Parker a Star, USA/ France
Kékfrankos - Blaufränkisch - Lemberger: A Grape’s Immigration Story From Central Europe To The US West Coast - Seminar at the 2023 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Louis/ Missouri/ USA led by Annette Schiller
schiller-wine Blog of Christian Schiller Top Washington DC Alcohol Blog (December, 2024)
2024 Annual Meeting of the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, a 45 Years Old Wine Brotherhood in the Famous Wine Village Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany, with Annette Schiller, Founding Member, and Christian Schiller
Masterclass - The Wines of Germany: Presentation by Annette Schiller at the German Embassy in Washington DC/ Consular Conference March 2024
Dinner at JAN in Munich, Germany, with Jan Hartwig, one of the ten German 3-star Michelin Chefs (September 2024)
