Schloss Schönborn

The roots of the von Schönborn family can be traced back to the crusades and the first mention with respect to viticulture was in the year 1349. Schloss Schönborn is the oldest estate in Germany and one of the oldest in the world, continuously owned by the same family, (27 generations). Over the years the estate was steadily enlarged especially in the 17th century with acquisitions of the famous Erbacher Marcobrunn. With almost 50% ownership, the Schönborn’s have by far the largest ownership in this great vineyard. Historic invoices document the purchase of hand blown glass bottles in 1725, acknowledging that the Schönborn’s were among the first to bottle their wines. The oldest known still drinkable wine is in fact the 1735 Johannisberger, a bottle from the rarities cellar that was auctioned in 1987. As a point of interest, in the old days, wines were matured in cask for 10-15 years. The Schönborn’s have one of the deepest rarities cellars in the world with a number of bottles from three vintages from the 1700’s remaining.

For over 660 years the Schönborn’s have practiced sustainable vineyard practices, in parallel with a philosophy of producing great wines continuously. The estate owns over 50 hectares, (125 acres), of vineyards throughout the Rheingau.  It is the only estate in the region with 38 single vineyard holdings in the best parts of the region.

Following are highlights of these expansive single vineyard holdings:

Erbach, Marcobrunn

Rauenthal, Baiken

Hattenheim, Pfaffenberg (monopole), Nussbrunnen, Wisselbrunnen

Johannisberg, Klaus, Vogelsang

Geisenheim, Schlossgarten, Mäuerchen, Rothenberg

Winkel, Jesuitengarten, Hasensprung

Hochheim, Domdechaney, Kirchenstück, Hölle

Rüdesheim, Berg Schlossberg, Berg Rottland, Bischofsberg

Schloss Schönborn produces 25,000 annually and is a founding member of the Rheingau VDP!

The wine-growing tradition of the Counts of Schönborn traces its origin back to 1349 in the Rheingau wine district. However, family documents provide evidence of vineyard ownership in the village of Winkel dating back to the 13th century. Today the wine estate manages 50 hectares of vineyards in the Rheingau, including 2.7 hectares in the first class vineyard, Erbacher Marcobrunn. A large portion of the production, especially the sweet dessert wines, is exported to Asia and North America.

As a founding member of the VDP, the federation of German predicate wines, it is the wine estate’s philosophy to create contemporary fruity wines by utilizing the highest of standards in wine-growing, including natural cultivation, from each of Schloss Schönborn’s individual vineyard sites.

The Riesling grape loves the Rheingau! Here, it finds the ideal ground and the best climate. At Schloss Schönborn, 91% of estate vineyards are planted with Riesling and the remaining 9% divided between Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) varietals. Wine experts at home and abroad praise the wines of Schloss Schönborn, having won many national and international awards which reflect the long-standing efforts to strive for quality.