Schloss Johannisberg

The Benedictine monastery, founded in 1100, is considered to be the first producer of Riesling in the world and the winery with the longest continuous activity, 1200 years. The first historical mentions of wine production in this region date back to 817, and the first documents that refer to "Riesling Schloss Johannisberg" date from 1720.

It was also here that the first "Spatlese" wine was produced for the first time in Germany, in 1775. "Because" of the delay of the courier who brought the letter with the "permission" to start picking, the harvest started later than usual. Although a large part of the harvest had been attacked by noble mold, the wine turned out to be excellent. Thus, the people here began to vinify "late harvests" (the translation of the word "Spatlese"). Later, these wines were divided into several quality grades, called "Praedikat", from Kabinett to Trockenbeerenauslese, depending on how ripe the grapes were or how much they were attacked by noble rot.

Apart from mentioning "Predicate" on the label, Schloss Johannisberg uses different colored caps for each quality level. For example, the red hood (Rotlack) is used for Kabinett wines and the green (Grunlack) for Spatlese. The basic level, without Praedikat, is indicated by a yellow hood (Gelblack). The last color to appear in the Schloss Johannisberg collection is silver, used for Grosses Gewächs wines.

In 1942, the castle was bombed and set on fire. Thanks to the investments made by Furstin Tatiana, together with her husband Paul Alfons Furst von Metternich, the castle was restored in 1965. Schloss Johannisberg exploits 35 hectares of vineyards, plots along the 50th parallel. To the same extent, this producer is one of the few German wineries with its own designation of origin. In the cellar called "Bibliotheca subterranea", Schloss Johannisberg stores over 11,000 bottles of Riesling, the oldest dating back to 1784.

For several decades, Schloss Johannisberg has been owned by Henkell & Co and operated by G. H. von Mumm. This company owns the largest vineyard area in the Rheingau region.

https://schloss-johannisberg.de