25 – 28 April 2013

We meet in Mainz, one of the great wine capitals of the world and gateway to the Rhine wine regions. From there we hop on a coach to explore the secrets of terroir at some of the greatest wine estates in Germany.

This is one of the warmest and driest areas of the country, with a southern flair that has earned it the title of “Germany´s Tuscany”. The favourable growing conditions allow vintners to cultivate an especially wide range of grapes (as well as figs and lemons). Riesling is the star performer, but the region excels in almost all segments, from early-ripening whites to late-ripening reds. We get to taste this diversity on our tour from Rheinhessen to the southern Pfalz, with stops at the following producers:

Gunderloch, 5th generation family estate at the “Rheinfront” (historic heart), especially renowned for their sweeter-style Rieslings
Wittmann, biodynamic estate now in the expert hands of young Philipp Wittmann, Vintner of the Year 2014 (Gault Millau)
Dr. Buerklin-Wolf, magnificent Mittelhaardt estate with holdings in many of the top sites
Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan, also in the Mittelhaardt, equally outstanding and the first to plant only Riesling
Koehler-Ruprecht, one of the finest estates in the northern Pfalz, and source of the legendary Kallstadter Saumagen
Oekonomie Rebholz and Dr Wehrheim, both fathers of terroir in the southern Pfalz

A special treat is our visit to the teaching and research centre DLR Rheinland-Pfalz, which has conducted ground-breaking research into the expression of terroir.
So all in all a formidable learning experience, a wealth of fabulous wines and an in-depth look at what makes these two areas currently the most exciting in the country.