Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Doepfner’s im Maingau Meets Frankfurt/Wein, with Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier and Weingut Chat Sauvage, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Picture: Wolfgang L. Feierfeil, Frankfurt/Wein, Frank Schuber, Weingut Battenfeld Spanier, Michael Staedter, Weingut Chat Sauvage, Werner Doepfner and Doepfner Junior

With its contemporary, light and fresh cuisine with a regional accent and a highly respected and renowned wine cellar, "Döpfner's im Maingau" is among the top restaurants in the Frankfurt am Main region.

Frankfurt/Wein is one of the best wine retail stores in Germany. It just won second place in the 2014 Best Wine Retail Shop Competition, organized by the German Wine Institute (DWI) in cooperation with the trade magazine WINE + MARKT.

Doepfner’s im Maingau and Frankfurt/Wein teamed up to present 2 of the leading German wine producers: Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier and Weingut Chat Sauvage.

Frankfurt/Wein

Frankfurt/Wein is owned and managed by Gernot Dorsch and Wolfgang L. Feierfeil. It is a stylish, chic wine store with a portfolio concentrating on German and French premium wines. In the German portfolio, you find all the big names like Doennhoff, Kuenstler, Dr. Loosen and many more, such as Battenfeld-Spanier and Chat Sauvage, well represented.

Picture: Gernot Dorsch, Frankfurt/Wein and Christian G.E. Schiller

Doepfner’s im Maingau

"Döpfner's im Maingau" is the hotel restaurant of Hotel Maingau, which has been owned and run by the Döpfner family for more than 60 years. In fact, 3 generations of the Döpfner family were present at the winemaker dinner. Werner Döpfner was in charge of the restaurant service, his son Joerg Doepfner was in charge of the cooking, Joerg’s wife received the guests and their young son was helping out in the kitchen and in the service. With its contemporary, light and fresh cuisine with a regional accent and a highly respected and renowned wine cellar, "Döpfner's im Maingau" is among the top restaurants in the Frankfurt am Main region.

Pictures: Hotel im Maingau, Christian G.E. Schiller, Chef Joerg Doepfner with his Father and his Son

See also:
The Best Restaurants in the Greater Frankfurt am Main Region, Germany
Frankfurt Top Trendy Restaurants – Feinschmecker 2012
Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Weingut Battenfeld Spanier

Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier is in Hohen-Sülzen (Wonnegau area) close to the city of Worms in Southern Rheinhessen. The Spanier family has been making wine for generations. The vineyard area totals 18 hectares, with holdings in: Kirchenstück, Rosengarten und Sonnenberg (Hohen-Sülzen), as well as Frauenberg (Flörsheim). More than 50% of the area is planted with Riesling, as well as with Pinot Noir (20%), Pinot Blanc (8%), Silvaner, Chardonnay and other varieties.

Annual production is around 70.000 bottles of wine. The estate is a member of the VDP association. H. O. Spanier has been a member of the ECOVIN organic growers association since 1996. Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier is now fully biodynamic.

H.O. Spanier took over Weingut Spanier from his parents in 1993. In 1997, Weingut Spanier was merged with the neighboring Weingut Battenfeld to become Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier. Over the following years, H.O. Spanier singlehandedly transformed Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier into one of the most preeminent wine producers in Germany.

Pictures: Michael Staedter, Weingut Chat Sauvage, and Frank Schuber, Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier

Since 2006, H.O. Spanier has been married to Carolin Spanier-Gillot, also a gifted wine maker. She is a graduate of the famous Geisenheim College wine maker school, a co-founder of the Message in a Bottle association of young winegrowers and a member of the Vinissima. She is sometimes referred to the whirlwind among the young, women winegrowers in Germany. Carolin came with Weingut Kuehling-Gillot (Weingut Kuehling-Gillot came about by marriage in 1970 of Carolin’s parents, Roland Gillot and Gabi Kuehling).

Carolin and H.O have two children, who they hope will carry on the tradition of producing great wines. The family lives in Hohen-Suelzen.

Although both estates continue to produce wine under their respective names – Weingut Kuehling-Gillot and Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier - certain functions have been pooled. The tasting room and sales office for both estates is in Bodenheim at Weingut Kuehling-Gillot. As wine makers, both have stamped their wines with a unique signature, but it seems that H.O. is taking the lead in in terms of winemaking at both estates, while Carolin will be more active in terms of marketing and sales. Essentially, when it comes to the wines of Weingut Kuehling-Gillot and Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier, they carry the signature of H.O. Spanier.

At the dinner, the wines of Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier were presented by Frank Schuber, a former sommelier, who has been working with H.O. and Carolin for a number of years now.

See also:
The Wine Maker Couple H.O. Spanier and Carolin Spanier-Gillot, with Roland Gillot, Lead Wine Tasting of Kuehling-Gillot and Battenfeld-Spanier Wines at Weingut Kuehling-Gillot, Germany

2014 Germany (North) Wine and Culture Tour by ombiasy

The upcoming Germany North Tour by ombiasy will include a visit of Weingut Kuehling-Gillot, where we will taste the whole range of the wines of H.O. Spanier with Frank Schubert again. For more information, see:

3 Wine Tours by ombiasy Coming up in 2014: Germany-North, Germany-South and Bordeaux
ombiasy Public Relations 

Weingut Chat Sauvage

Weingut Chat Sauvage is a relatively new wine producer in the Rheingau. It was founded in 2001. The vineyard area of Chat Sauvage totals 7 hectares. 4/5 of the production is Pinot Noir and 1/5 is Chardonnay. 2/3 of the vineyards are steep slopes. The Chat Sauvage vineyards are scattered around in the western part of the Rheingau.

Weingut Chat Sauvage is the baby of Günter Schulz and Michael Städter. The former has made his money and still is making his money outside of the wine industry. Wine, in particular Bourgogne varieties, is his passion. The latter has been running the winery right from its initial days.

Pictures: Michael Staedter, Weingut Chat Sauvage, Frank Schuber, Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier, and Gernot Dorsch, Frankfurt/Wein

The history of Weingut Chat Sauvage began in 1992, when Guenther Schulz started to make regular visits from Hamburg, where he lives, to the Rheingau in order to visit his daughter. He quickly fell in love with the region and began to think about making wine himself in the Rheingau. His first wines – couple of barrels - were made at Weingut Schamari-Mühle in Johannisberg, in cooperation with Erik Andersson.

Right from the beginning, the Chat Sauvage wines were sought after by wine lovers in Germany, which encouraged Guenter Schulz to push ahead with his passion. The next important step was the construction of a winery. He auctioned off his collection of fine wines at Christie’s in London and used the proceeds to buy more vineyard land and to construct a winery in Johannisberg in the Rheingau. Weingut Chat Sauvage moved into the new winery in August 2010.

While Guenter Schulz is the owner and the brain behind Weingut Chat Sauvage, the man on the ground is Michael Staedler, who is in his early 30s. He is the Managing Director and the Cellar Master of Weingut Chat Sauvage. He has been with Guenter Schulz from early on in the Chat Sauvage undertaking. His mother is from Oestrich Winkel in the Rheingau.

Michael started his career in the wine industry at Schloss Johannisberg, where he did a 3 years apprenticeship in winemaking. This was followed by studies in viticulture and oenology at the famous Geisenheim College. During his studies, Michael worked at the Weingut Schamari-Mühle, were Guenter Schulz started his Chat Sauvage journey in 2001. Thus, right from the beginning, Michael was part of the project. When Guenter Schulz decided to have his own winery, he asked Michael if he would be interested in joining him as Managing Director and Winemaker. Michael accepted. Before that, Michael had spent a year in the Bourgogne and ½ a year in Australia.

See also:
Weingut Chat Sauvage – Bourgogne in the Middle of the Rheingau: Meeting Chat Sauvage’s Winemaker and General Manager Michael Staedter, Germany
Chat Sauvage Versus Peter Querbach – An Impromptu Pinot Noir Wine Tasting with Kai Buhrfeind at His Grand Cru Wine Bar in Frankfurt, Germany

Das Menü

2008er Battenfeld-Spanier, Blanc de Blanc brut


Greetings from the Chef


Rettichcarpaccio mit grünem Spargelgitter, Ingwervinaigrette und gebratenen Scampi


2012er Chat Sauvage, Lorcher Pfaffenwies Riesling
2012er Battenfeld-Spanier, Eisbach Riesling trocken


Kaninchenrücken in Südtiroler Speckmantel auf Bachkresserisotto


2011er Chat Sauvage, Chardonnay “Clos de Schulz“
2010er Battenfeld-Spanier, Moelsheim Riesling trocken


Geschmorte Zickleinschulter auf Leipziger Allerlei


2010er Chat Sauvage Assmannshäuser Frankenthal Pinot Noir
2009er Battenfeld-Spanier, Kichenstueck Riesling Großes Gewächs aus der Magnum


Rosa gebratener Hirschrücken auf getrüffeltemn Blumenkohlpüree und Kräuterpolenta


2010er Chat Sauvage, Rüdesheimer Drachenstein Pinot Noir
2009er Battenfeld-Spanier, Kichenstueck, Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs


Trio vom Nougat und Passionsfrucht


2008er Chat Sauvage Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Auslese Riesling
2011er Battenfeld-Spanier, Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott Riesling TBA


A Lively Conversation at the Table 

Great table.

Pictures: Gernot Dorsch, Frankfurt/Wein, Michael Staedter, Weingut Chat Sauvage, Frank Schuber, Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier, Wolfgang L. Feierfeil, Frankfurt/Wein, Oliver Hess, Slow Food, Claudia Rehm and Christian G.E. Schiller

The Kitchen Team

A big thank you for a wonderful dinner.


Absacker

One of two.


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