Rheingau wine

The Rheingau is according to § 3 para 1 No. 9 wine law is one of 13 growing regions for quality wine in Germany. It extends one on a narrow strip between the here -flowing westward Rhine and north of it heights of the Taunus, but also includes the area under vines in Wiesbaden and the north bank between Florsheim and the mouth of the Main primarily west of the Rhine knee at Wiesbaden.

Overall, the wine region has an area of ​​about 3,100 hectares, predominantly the Riesling grape is grown.

• 4.1 Origin of late harvest and noble rot discovery of
• 4.2 new breeds

• 5.1 General
• 5.2 Großlagen, wine villages and individual layers
• 5.3 wineries and wine marketing

Geography

Location

In the Rhine - Main region of the Taunus series north of the Rhine and Main and south of the wine villages of Lorchhausen in the west to Frankfurt am Main with the Lohr Berger slope to the east. In addition, the northernmost vineyard in Hesse, the Böddiger Berg takes Felsberg at the Eder. Thus, the putative Rheingau wine -growing region is larger than the Rheingau in the geographical and historical sense.

The growing area extended to the left bank of the Main, as in 1980 in the former wine town of Rüsselsheim a memory vineyard was planted by Lord Mayor Storsberg using the Rheingau Winegrowers' Association. An historic site on the south side of the fortress he recalls the first mention of Riesling 1435 in the synopses of the Counts of Katzenelenbogen.

Definition of the specified region Rheingau

The vineyards in the cities and towns

• Eltville
• Frankfurt am Main
• Felsberg
• Florsheim am Main
• Geisenheim
• Hochheim am Main

• Kiedrich
• Lorch
• Oestrich- angle
• Rüdesheim am Rhein
• Walluf
• Wiesbaden

Form the specified region for quality wine Rheingau. Here are just Eltville, Geisenheim, Kiedrich, Lorch, Oestrich- angle, Rudesheim and Walluf in the historic landscape Rheingau. Frankfurt am Main, Florsheim, Hochheim and Wiesbaden are east of it in the Main- Taunus foothills or Vordertaunus and Felsberg is quite a ways from those municipalities located in the Eder valley in northern Hesse.

Climate

The climate in the Rheingau is very mild. It lies in the rain shadow of the wooded heights of the aligned from southwest to northeast Rheingau Mountains, part of the High Taunus. The forests slow the outflow of nocturnal cold air into the subjacent vineyards. The fact that the Rhine to Rüdesheim runs to the west, there is in the Rheingau predominantly south-facing slopes that are exposed to strong sunlight.

In the 30 - year mean ( 1971-2000 ) in the following values ​​:

• Rainfall: 582 mm in 12 months, 361 mm in the vegetation period ( measuring point Eltville )
• Sunshine Hours: 1603 hours in 12 months, 1272 hours during the vegetation period ( measuring point Geisenheim )
• Mean annual temperature: 10.6 ° C, 15.4 ° C during the growing season (point Eltville )

Varieties

Far the most common grape variety is Riesling in the Rheingau ( white wine). It occupies about 80 % of the acreage and almost all prime locations and has a very high quality. A special position in the Rheingau wine-growing town is played by the Assmannshausen. Here (red) is grown on 75 hectares of Pinot Noir, which is at the same time there is the largest contiguous area planted to Pinot Noir in Germany.

Overall, the following distribution:

• Riesling 78.2 %
• Pinot Noir 12.7%
• Other white varieties 6.2%
• Other red varieties 2.9%

The yield per hectare is approximately 91.8 hl / ha

The Rheingau wine needs due to its striking acidity and complexity of storage time on the development of his own taste fullness. Depending on the vintage and quality level, this may take even in dry wines, two or more years. The trend is toward Riesling wines, which are aged with moderate acid values ​​of 6.5 to almost 8 g / l, and so taste best in the first two years after the harvest.

History of wine in the Rheingau

The history of wine on the Rhine dates back to Roman times. The "Wine Emperor " Probus (* 232, † 282) suggested in today's Baden- Württemberg and the Palatinate to viticulture. However, this seemed to be confined to the left bank of the Rhine. In the Rheingau, there is no concrete evidence to this. Maybe that was because of the nearby limes which ran a few kilometers north of the Taunus. During the Great Migration of the vineyard came then largely forgotten.

Only Charlemagne brought a new impetus. According to legend, he looked from his palace at Ingelheim on the Rhine and noticed that the snow on the Johannisberg ( Schloss Johannisberg ) melted earlier than elsewhere. He therefore ordered that grow here vines. Through him the wine-growing areas have been significantly extended. The first wine growing on the Johannisberg has survived from the year 817, in Walluf even already from the year 779 First, the mountain but still wore the name of Bishop Mountain, which probably goes back to the scholar Rabanus Maurus, the order during his time as Archbishop of Mainz 850 more often resided in the Rheingau and also died there. Through a gift of Emperor Otto II, which became known as Veronese donation in the history of the Archbishop of Mainz Willigis feudal rights acquired in the Rheingau. In 1100 he went over to the Benedictine monks of the monastery of St. Alban before Mainz, who founded a monastery here. The abbey church was dedicated to John the Baptist in 1130, which led to the renaming in Johannisberg.

Around this time the wine in Germany reached a climax: The vineyard was about three times as large as today with approximately 300,000 ha. On the implementation and development, especially the monasteries were involved. In addition to the Benedictine monks of Kloster Johannisberg this was particularly the Cistercian monks from the monastery of Eberbach, which has developed over the centuries to become a center of viticulture in the Rheingau. Your wine trade was mainly directed down the Rhine and flourished thanks to the circumferential tariff exemptions of the Counts of Katzenelenbogen, the Kloster Eberbach monastery went to her house. While in Frankfurt bans for creating new vineyards have been adopted and to let the men in Mainz grow the income of their vineyards in the Rheingau through a bid, only frenschen ( good and profitable red ) wine, planted Count Johann von Katzenelenbogen in nearby Russelsheim a new white grape variety, Riesling, which to. His tenure included alongside numerous vineyards from the Neckar River to the Moselle and vineyards in Rudesheim am Rhein. In his Lehnsbriefen a vineyard in Geisenheim field of 1346 are mentioned next to vineyards around the town. In this period of the late Middle Ages, a flowering period of the discoveries of science and art, but also the decadence of ecclesiastical and secular princes stand, was an increased need of fine drinks. While the prices of Malvasia and other alcohol-rich wines, local wines to the surpassing of the Mediterranean four- to fivefold and beer to wine made ​​strong competition began in contrast to the traditional composite rate of variety cultivation, which is a rise of Ersterwähnungen of vine varieties Riesling 1470 with the variety Klebrot ( Pinot Noir ) or 1476 of the variety Grobrot testified, inter alia, in Hattenheim in Kloster Eberbach. However, the term Rheingau wine seems to have already been a valued quality feature as Count Philip of Katzenelenbogen -Diez 1475 his bailiff was selected as remuneration between Rheingau and Bergsträßer wine. The turmoil of the Reformation, in which fell into disrepair, the newly acquired knowledge, inhibited a very fruitful development for a long time.

Discoveries and new varieties in the Rheingau

Origin of late harvest and noble rot discovery of

Until the 18th century, a late reading in such northern latitudes, such as in the Rheingau was not common because the winemakers feared a rot of grapes. The time of harvest was therefore also required by the communities.

One exception was the Schloss Johannisberg, which belonged to the Prince-Bishop of Fulda. Before the Johannisberger Butler could start every year with the reading, he first had to get permission from Fulda. In 1775, however, the mounted messenger delayed by 14 days. The reasons there are several versions; one stating the Prince-Bishop was not reachable due to a hunting trip, another that the Messenger of robbers had been delayed. Anyway, had the monks of Kloster Johannisberg watch as their vines were attacked by rot and began to shrink. Harvested was finally after receipt of the permit anyway, and as it turned out, was the astonishment of the winemaker an exceptionally good wine. By this epochal event for the wine, the Late Harvest was discovered, and with it the fact that wine made from noble rot grapes may be of particular quality. This noble rot was henceforth responsible for rarities with predicate names as the readout, the Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

For the first time since the 1999 vintage there are wines from scientifically classified sites which carry the name First Growth only in the Rheingau. This is the only climatically favored locations and best land ( terroir ) can grow a wine of particular quality, its distinctive soil character is paramount and is reflected in the enjoyment of wine.

In 2011 it was discovered that the position classification in the Rheingau region already has a 150-year history. The 1867 edited by Friedrich Wilhelm conceit mine The Nassau viticulture includes a viticultural map of Nassau Rheingau region in which all then existing vineyards are color-coded and in three different shades of red vineyards, First Class, Second Class, the vineyards and the other vineyards.

Among the vineyards, First Class only 13 layers were counted in 9 districts in 1867:

By the way can identify the card that the stock of vines since 1867, especially in the second half of the 20th century, has changed recognizable. In the 19th century, the steep vineyards moved yet continuously along the Rhine from Rüdesheim to Kaub. Only where the land consolidation after a steep slope areas could be opened up by driveways, viticulture has maintained ever since. On the other hand, changed earlier in the upper and middle Rheingau Geisenheim to Niederwalluf the vines much more with other agricultural uses from. Viticulture has been here since more spread out. Further east, however, there was some sort of wine, where the wine has now been abandoned or declined. Thus the vineyard pulled at Wiesbaden Nerobergbahn earlier down into Nerotal and there were more vineyards in Dambachtal. In Biebrich there was a vineyard, today commemorates the only nor the Wingertstraße with their name. Also in Castel and Amoeneburg there was viticulture. Were abandoned vineyards in the previous Igstadt, Wallau and Diedenbergen. Next were extended past the vines in Delkenheim. And much more viticulture there were south of Wicker along the Wicker brook in the district of Florsheim, to now only the smallest with 0.9 ha Rheingau single vineyard St. Anna chapel above the meadow mill ( on the map: Young Hof ) recalls.

New breeds

In Geisenheim 1872, the Royal Prussian Academy for orchard and vineyard was founded, which today is called the Research Institute of Horticulture and Viticulture, and since 1972 in the framework of the vine and Önologiestudiums closely with the University of Applied Sciences Wiesbaden, now RheinMain University, Faculty of Geisenheim, co. In the research institute numerous discoveries have been made in the field of viticulture.

In 1882, bred botanist, biologist, breeder and professor Hermann Müller, who came from the Swiss Thurgau, here named after him new varietal Müller- Thurgau. This is now the second most common after the Riesling variety in Germany and is known worldwide as a very successful breeding because it provides low demands on soil and climate, ripens early and brings good returns. According to recent findings, however, it is contrary to popular opinion, no crossing of Riesling and Sylvaner, as the name suggests synonyms rivaner. Rather, Müller himself was not sure which parent vines he had used, but Silvaner could be ruled out by studies. Because genetic studies since 1998 turned out that there is in fact but a crossing of Riesling (mother) and Madeleine Royale (father).

The future head of the Research Institute, Heinrich Birk, also bred several grape varieties. The most famous are the Ehrenfelser, a 1929 resulting cross between Riesling and Silvaner, which is named after the castle honor rock near Rüdesheim, and Rotberg 1928, the Schönburger of 1939 and named after the castle rich stone near Bingen Reichensteiner ( 1939).

Vineyards and wineries

General

In the Rheingau, there are different floors. In the higher altitudes there are slight residual soils. Near the bottom of the Rhine this go increasingly in loess, loam and clay. Taste and character of the wine are determined from the type of soil encountered, its permeability and color. These criteria do not only affect the growth of the vine, but also on its heat ( moist and light = cold, dry and dark = hot). There are to be found four major soil groups: volcanic soils on which plump, rich, fiery wines grow; Slate floors, the finely bred, resulting spicy, tangy wines; Keuper and limestone soils that give rise to hearty, strong wines; Finally, loess and clay soils, the full-bodied, rich bouquet produce wines. In addition, steeper and higher altitude locations receive more sunshine, as the mist that forms near the Rhine, here is less strong. However, there is also the cooler wind above.

In summary, the top layers are characterized therefore by a good combination between soil, sunshine and safe location and can in principle be found at any point of the Rheingau.

The entire production area is divided into ten regional sites and 119 individual layers.

Großlagen, wine villages and individual layers

In the following overview Rheingau wine places and known individual layers are assigned to the bulk positions shown in alphabetical order.

Great location free is the Wiesbaden Nerobergbahn. The Lohr Berger slope in Frankfurt and the Böddiger mountain in Felsberg ( Schwalm -Eder -Kreis) include in addition also to the Rheingau wine region, although geographically not part of it.

All vineyards are listed at the Darmstadt Regional Council in a vineyard role. The directory contains maps, in which the layers are drawn. Applications for entries in the vineyard role, as well as requests for changes and deletions will be decided after consultation with a committee of experts. The Committee expressed particular economically sensible, but the location-based nature -preserving boundaries of the layers and regions. Applications for registration, modification and deletion of a situation, including the determination and fixing the location name to be supplied by the municipality in whose territory the vineyards are situated.

For the detailed list of documents, see List of vineyards in the Rheingau.

Wineries and wine marketing

673 Of the 927 wineries in the Rheingau are among the self- marketers of wine, bulk wine and bottled wine. 344 of these farms cultivate a vineyard area of ​​more than 1 ha Among these, in turn, have 64 wineries over more than 10 ha, together accounted for more than half of the vineyards of the Rheingau. The largest Rheingau winery are the Hessian State Wineries. The 254 is not self-marketing operations are organized with 172 hectares of vines in 7 winegrowers. In addition to the area Winegrowers Wine Country Rheingau, these are the six local winegrowers in (from west to east) Lorch, Hall Garden, Erbach, Kiedrich, Rauenthal and wife rock. 42 of the most prestigious Rheingau wineries are organized in the Association of German VDP ( variable data printing ). Thus, the VDP Rheingau is the largest membership of any regional club of the VDP.

Many of the wineries have a long tradition. Thus, the State wineries continue the work of the monks of Kloster Eberbach. The origin of the estate of Baron Knyphausen can be traced back as Draiser court and as part of the monastery Eberbach to the year 1141. Castle Vollrads in angle increases even the superlative oldest vineyard in Germany can claim.

To stand out clearly recognizable in the marketing of products from other regions, the Rheingau Winegrowers' Association promotes the use of the flute as the Rheingau 's special design. Also, a special type of wine glass was created and has replaced the traditional Rheingau Romans. The new glass has a long slender stem that receives the - dark -edged appearance of the wine bottle in color and form. The wine cup is tall and slender. Unfortunately, this glass is no longer produced since 2009. The cup rim is in contrast to earlier well above the calibration mark, which would make it expensive as previously customary and expected of the guests, pour in the wine bars of the region to the edge of the glass and beyond ( " mountain ").

Tributes and quotes

• The varietal Silvaner means, above all in Switzerland after the Rheingau vineyard also " Johannisberg ".
• The synonym for German wine in the English-speaking world is Hock, derived from the town of Hochheim am Main. An English saying is: "A good Hock keeps away the doc! "
• A quote from Heinrich Heine is: "Mon dieu, if I do so much faith in me would that I could remove mountains, the Johannisberg would be just the mountain, I would come after me everywhere. "

Wine Queens

In any Rheingau wine-growing town, in every district, there is a local wine queen. Martinsthal made ​​an exception for a few years and let the wine of the place represent by a Bacchus. From the circle, this wine Majesties the candidates for the freestyle Rheingau Wine Queen and her princesses come.

The last wine queens were

• Simone Wagner, Erbach (2001/2002), German Wine Princess 2002/2003
• Elena Wagner, Eltville - Rauenthal (2002/2003)
• Nadine Hunter, Rudesheim (2003/2004), German Wine Princess 2004/2005
• Daniela Wendling, Oestrich-Winkel (2004/2005)
• Sabrina classes, Lorch (2005/2006)
• Maresa Breuer, Rüdesheim (2006/2007)
• Michaela Hans, Johannisberg (2007/2008)
• Sarah Old Hall Garden (2009/2010)
• Madeleine Rossel, Eltville (2010/2011)
• Elena Benischke, Martinsthal (2011/2012)
• Sabine Wagner, Hochheim (2012/2013)

The most famous Rheingau wine queen was Ulrike Neradt from Martinsthal, which had been elected in 1972 as Ulrike Seyffardt the German Wine Queen.