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| Weingut Gunderloch | |
|---|---|
| Location | Nackenheim, Germany |
| Appellation | Rheinhessen |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Key people | Friedrich Hasselbach, Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger and Johannes Hasselbach |
| Varietal | Riesling |
| Website | gunderloch |
Weingut Gunderloch is a German wine grower and producer based in Nackenheim in the Rheinhessen wine region.
The Gunderloch estate was created by a banker hailing from Mainz in 1890 during the German Gründerzeit. [1] Carl Gunderloch, originating from Gundersheim, acquired the Dalheimer Hof from the secularised property of the Cistercian abbey of Dalheim near Mainz, as well as some outstanding vineyards like the “Nackenheimer Rothenberg” in the “Roter Hang” (Red slope). Following his capital investment he became a protagonist of a new quality oriented viticulture on the Rhinefront. After his death, his winery was divided between his two daughters. [2] The current owner is Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger, the fifth generation in the winery. There are three children of the sixth generation: Stefanie married the Austrian winemaker Alwin Jurtschitsch and is now cellar master at that estate in Kamptal, Austrial. Johannes Hasselbach became the winemaker at Gunderloch upon the death of his father Fritz in 2016.
The name of the estate owner Gunderloch had become known since 1925 by the comedy The Merry Vineyard written by Carl Zuckmayer. The fashion of the comedy did not amuse Gunderloch and all the other Nackenheim wine producers, because they had been described as petty bourgeois.
In the course of the 1970s the Geisenheimer Fritz Hasselbach saw the importance of the international printed wine media as a marketing instrument for estates and their top vineyards. In 1979 Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach decided to invest in their winery and to quit their jobs as a teacher in a private school and in the former Landeslehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Wein- und Gartenbau (“federal experimental station for viticulture and horticulture”) in Oppenheim, today: Dienstleistungszentrum Ländlicher Raum . During the years, important networks to leading wine critics like Stuart Pigott were established and maintained. Johannes Hasselbach took over the responsibility for the estate. He is heading the Rheinhessen regional association of the VDP since December 2019. [3]
Regine Usinger, (born 1958), married Usinger-Frank, was German wine queen during 1980/1981.
The estate is exporting its wine to 34 countries.
Gunderloch works with 14 hectares vineyards, including vines in Niersteiner Pettental and Hipping. These are selected sites, capable to produce ″Grosses Gewächs″, top-level dry wines. The leading grape variety cultivated is Riesling with 80%. 6% burgundy and 5% Silvaner are notable as well. The remaining percentages split in specialties. An average yield of 55 hl/ha is achieved. [1]
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions (Anbaugebiete) for quality wine are situated. Germany has about 103,000 hectares of vineyard, which is around one tenth of the vineyard surface in Spain, France or Italy. The total wine production is usually around 10 million hectoliters annually, corresponding to 1.3 billion bottles, which places Germany as the eighth-largest wine-producing country in the world. White wine accounts for almost two thirds of the total production.
The German wine classification system puts a strong emphasis on standardization and factual completeness, and was first implemented by the German Wine Law of 1971. Nearly all of Germany's vineyards are delineated and registered as one of approximately 2,600 Einzellagen, and the produce from any vineyard can be used to make German wine at any quality level, as long as the must weight of the grapes reaches the designated minimum level. As the current German system does not classify vineyards by quality, the measure of wine ’quality’ is the ripeness of the grapes alone.
Schloss Johannisberg is a castle and winery in the village of Johannisberg to the west of Wiesbaden, Hesse, in the Rheingau wine-growing region of Germany. It has been making wine for over 900 years. The winery is most noted for its claim to have "discovered" late harvest wine. The palace is a venue of the Rheingau Musik Festival, made available by co-founder Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg.
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions (Weinanbaugebiete) for quality wines with 26,758 hectares under cultivation in 2018. Named for the traditional region of Rhenish Hesse, it lies on the left bank of the Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Despite its historic name it is currently no longer part of the federal-state of Hesse, this being the case since the end of World War II. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to legally reunite the former wine growing districts of Mainz on the Hessian side during the post-war area. Rheinhessen produces mostly white wine from a variety of grapes, particularly Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, and is best known as the home of Liebfraumilch, although some previously underrated Rieslings are also made, increasingly in a powerful dry style.
Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter e.V. or the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates, is an association of more than 200 wineries in Germany that promotes binding quality standards and – since 1990 – also ecological management of its members' wineries. Many of Germany's top wine producers are members. It is commonly known by its abbreviation VDP.
Rheingau is one of 13 designated German wine regions (Weinbaugebiete) producing quality wines . It was named after the traditional region of Rheingau, the wine region is situated in the state of Hesse, where it constitutes part of the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis administrative district. Although, making up only 3 percent of the total German vineyard area, Rheingau has been the source of many historically important innovations in German wine making, and contains many wine producers of international reputation, such as Schloss Johannisberg. Rheingau, with 3,125 hectares of vineyards in 2016, also boasts a higher proportion of Riesling (77.7%) than any other German wine-growing region, with Spätburgunder making up most of the rest (12.2%), followed by Müller-Thurgau.
Ahr is a wine region (Anbaugebiet) for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the valley of the river Ahr, a tributary of Rhine, and is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. With only 558 hectares of vines as of 2008, it is one of smaller of Germany's 13 regions. Despite its northern location it primarily produces red wines, and red grape varieties account for 86% of the vineyard area, which is more than in any other German wine region.
Hipping is a 23-hectare-sized (57-acre) vineyard of the red slope in the municipality Nierstein in Germany. Located at the Rhenish Hessian Rhineterrace (Rhineland-Palatinate), wines of this vineyard can be marketed as "Großes Gewächs" or "Erste Lage", provided that other quality characteristics are fulfilled.
Schloss Vollrads is a castle and a wine estate in the Rheingau wine-growing region in Germany. It has been making wine for over 800 years.
St. Antony is a wine estate in the Rheinhessen wine-growing region in Germany, that has been making wine since the end of the First World War.
Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff is a German wine grower and producer based in Oberhausen, in the wine-growing region of Nahe, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The Dönnhoff family have been making wine in this region since 1750.
Egon Müller IV, is a German winemaker and owner of the wine producer Weingut Egon Müller, Scharzhof, located just outside Wiltingen.
Weingut Fritz Haag is a German wine grower and producer based in Brauneberg, in the wine-growing region of Mosel, Germany.
Weingut Dr. Heinrich Nägler is a German wine grower and producer based in Rüdesheim am Rhein, in the wine-growing region of Rheingau, Germany.
Annika Strebel , from the German Rheinhessen wine region, was chosen as the 63rd German Wine Queen on 30 September 2011 in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, as the successor to Mandy Großgarten from the Ahr wine region. The German Wine Princesses supporting her during her twelve-month reign were Elisabeth Born (Saale-Unstrut) and Ramona Sturm (Moselle).
Weingut Wittmann is a German wine grower and producer based Westhofen, in the Wonnegau district of the wine-growing region of Rheinhessen, Germany. Weingut Wittmann is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 1998.
Weingut Brüder Dr. Becker is a German wine grower and craft producer based in Ludwigshöhe, in the Rheinhessen wine region, Germany. Weingut Brüder Dr. Becker is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 1971.
Weingut Schmitt's Kinder is one of the most traditional family wineries in Franconia. Viticulture in the family dates back to 1712, while the name ″Schmitt's Kinder″ dates back to the division of the estate in 1910. Located in Randersacker, Schmitt's Kinder is noted for their Silvaner (37%), Riesling (14%) and pinot noir (10%). Its 35-acre (140,000 m2) estate in the Maindreieck district is the middle portion of Franconia and comprising the sites Pfülben, Marsberg, Sonnenstuhl and Teufelskeller. Weingut Schmitt’s Kinder is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP).
Schloss Westerhaus is the largest estate in Rheinhessen. It is located on the hill Westerberg (Rheinhessen) near Großwinternheim borough of Ingelheim am Rhein. Today it is a well-known VDP winery and is run by the fourth generation. The vineyards consist of ancient shell limestone rocks and the winery's wine cellar is carved into the mountain, which is reminiscent of a stalactite cave in appearance, but is ideally suited as wine cellar. Weingut Schloss Westerhaus is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP).
Weingut Battenfeld Spanier is a German wine grower and producer based in Hohen-Sülzen, in the Wonnegau district of the wine-growing region of Rheinhessen, Germany. Weingut Battenfeld Spanier is a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) since 1998.
