May 23, 2015: News, Estates, Mature Riesling
Can you guess the Estates from these old wine labels? Play the game and learn about some historic Estates, current and past, in the solution to the quiz here below.
We took the above picture for our background article on the when best to drink your Mosel Riesling. Recognizing some of the Estates on the above labels is fairly easy, others are really tough!
Here are the labels "in full" with some background on the historic Estates.
A. Weingut G.F. von Nell (Trier): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP (it is no longer a member today) has built its reputation on its bottlings from the Thiergarten valley near Trier.
B. Weingut Gebert (Ockfen): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP was one of the great names in Saar Riesling, selling among others Ockfener Geisberg with great success at auction.
C. Weingut St. Irminenhof / von Kesselstatt (Kasel): This Estate was one of the four winemaking Estates owned by the Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, another founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP, before the Estate centralized all its winemaking into one place.
D. Weingut Peter Prüm (Wehlen): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP was one of the seven “heirs” of the original Prüm Estate and produced superb Wehlener Sonnenuhr wines until the 1980s.
E. Weingut St. Nikolaus-Hospital (Bernkastel-Kues): This member of the Bernkasteler Ring with a winemaking history going back to at least the 15th century briefly held some vineyards qualifying for Bernkasteler Doctor.
F. Weingut Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium (Trier): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP (it is no longer a member today) has has been the source of many great wines over the years, among which this Scharzberger.
G. Weingut Dr. Bergweiler (Wehlen): This "heir Estate" to the historic Zacharias Bergweiler-Prüm Estate (and, as such, a sister Estate of Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler and Dr. Loosen) had inherited much of the Wehlener Sonnenuhr holdings and was among the absolute leading Mosel producers until the 1970s.
H. Weingut Vereinigte Hospitien (Trier): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP, with a winemaking history dating from the 13th century, owns some of the finest vineyards in the region.
I. Weingut von Schubert (Mertesdorf): This mythical Estate is the proud sole owner of the Maximin Grünhäuser vineyards (and yes, also it had been a founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP!).
J. Weingut E. Christoffel-Berres (Ürzig): This former member of the Grosser Ring / VDP was one of the great Estates of the second half of the 20th century, with, among others, superb parcels in the original Erdener Prälat.
K. Weingut von Hövel (Oberemmel): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP has been the proud owner of the Oberemmeler Hütte since the early 19th century.
L. Weingut Piedmont (Filzen): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP made its reputation on its bottlings of Filzener Pulchen.
M. Weingut Max Keller (Saarburg-Beurig): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP no longer exists today. It build its reputation on its Ockfener wines, and in particular its highly regarded Ockfener Geisberg wines.
N. Weingut Geltz-Zilliken (Saarburg): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP needs no introduction given the success of its airy bottlings of Saarburger Rausch.
O. Weingut Mönchhof (Ürzig): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP (it is no longer a member) tends some of the best vineyards in Ürzig and Erden, including in the Erdener Prälat.
P. Weingut Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben (Ürzig): This member of the Grosser Ring / VDP produces some of the most remarkable wines from the Erdener Treppchen and Ürziger Würzgarten.
Q. Weingut Jos. Christoffel jr. (Ürzig): This stunning Estate is still very much under the radar despite producing, year-after-year, stunning wines among others from the Erdener Prälat.
R. Weingut Stephanus Freiherr von Schorlemer (Wintrich): This heir to the historic Freiherr von Schorlemer Estate (a founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP with up to 50 ha of prime holdings spread over Mosel and Saar) had inherited, among others, the family holdings in the Brauneberger hill.
S. Weingut Josef Milz jr. (Trittenheim): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP is known as Weingut Milz-Laurentiushof today.
T. Weingut Bernd Van Volxem (Wiltingen): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP with, among others, prime holding in the Scharzhoferger and the Wiltinger Gottesfuss, is known as Weingut Van Volxem since 2000.
U. Weingut Otto Van Volxem (Oberemmel): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP and sister Estate to the Weingut Bernd Van Volxem here above produced, among others, staggering Scharzhofberger wines.
V. Weingut Schloss Saarstein (Serrig): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP built its success on its solely owned Schloss Saarsteiner vineyard.
W. Weingut Wwe Dr. H. Thanisch (Bernkastel-Kues): This founding member of the Grosser Ring / VDP is almost a synonym for mythical Berncasteler Doctor bottlings.
X. Weingut Max Ferd. Richter (Mülheim): This Estate with roots going back to the 17th century has been producing timeless classic Mosel since decades, such as this Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett.
Y. Weingut Huesgen-Böcking (Traben-Trarbach): This grandee of the 19th and 20th century planted some of the modern day classics, among which the Wintricher Geierslay ("rediscovered" by Weingut Günther Steinmetz) and the Wiltinger Schlangengraben (owned by Weingut St. Urbans-Hof today).
Z. Weingut Freiherr von Solemacher (Saarburg): This former member of the Bernkasteler Ring does probably not ring a bell but its vineyards form the backbone of the holdings in the Saarburger Rausch and Ockfener Bockstein of Weingut Markus Molitor today.
© Text by Mosel Fine Wines "The Independent Review of Mosel Riesling ... and beyond!"
Disclaimer: Mosel Fine Wines is an independent publication and has no commercial relationship with any Estate, association or organization featured in this article.