Weinfreaks.de uses cookies. Cookies are text files that we temporarily store on your computer. Our cookies are technically necessary to provide you with the functions and content of our website. In principle, we do not share them with third parties. We only reserve the right to evaluate your cookies for the purpose of danger prevention. According to the law applicable in the European Union, we do not require your explicit consent for this. For reasons of transparency, we would nevertheless like to inform you about the use of cookies. For further information, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Login

Register

Forgot your password?

Shopping Cart

Your shopping cart is empty.

To take out a subscription or shop at weinfreaks.de, you must be registered and logged in.

Search on Website

Use operators

Search for wines and wineries

Schweigen-Rechtenbach SonnenbergImage: Deutsches Weininstitut
Schweigen-Rechtenbach Sonnenberg. German wine from French soil. Although the vines of the Schweigen-Rechtenbach winegrowers are partly on the territory of the Alsatian municipality of Wissembourg, the wines may be marketed under the name of the German single vineyard Sonnenberg. An exceptional regulation makes this possible. The vineyards have been owned by German winegrowing families for generations. Between 1871 and 1919, Alsace and thus also Wissembourg (Weißenburg) belonged to the German Empire. The vineyards in the Sonnenberg, classified by the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) as Große Lagen and Erste Lagen, are mainly on the French side: the Große Lagen Heydenreich, Kammerberg, Kostert, Sankt Paul and Rädling as well as the Erste Lagen Enggasse, Finstergasse, Güldenwingert, Steinwingert and Wormberg. In addition to parts of the single vineyard site under wine law, the Große Lage Sonnenberg also includes vineyards on the other side of the border. Only the Erste Lagen Pfarrwingert and Herrenwingert are located entirely on German territory.

Our Latest Ratings

WinewhitedrySauvignon Blanc

2023 Sulzfeld Sauvignon Blanc Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.ORTSWEIN ®

Zehnthof – Theo Luckert, Sulzfeld am Main

Germany

Franken • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4050 14 24 • 13 % vol alcohol

16.5🯅

Tasted on 22 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

16🯅

Tasted on 22 May 2026 by Julia Elflein

16.5🯅🕓

Tasted on 13 July 2024 by Werner Elflein

Light lemon yellow colour. Distinguished, subtle fragrance with fine, floral aromas reminiscent of an elegant Sancerre, not overly characterised by pyrazines. Pronounced chalky minerality. Lively acidity. Exceptionally complex and with excellent structure. Very good length and depth.

WinereddryBlauer Spätburgunder

2013 Klingenberg Spätburgunder R Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.ORTSWEIN ®

Steintal, Klingenberg am Main

Germany

Franken • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 1000 17 15 • 13.5 % vol alcohol • bottled under the name Stadt Klingenberg – Benedikt Baltes

16.5🯅

Tasted on 21 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

A 13-year-old German Pinot Noir that has now matured and is still in excellent condition. Dark brick red. Ripe Pinot fruit with subtle hints of light berries and aromas of forest floor and mushrooms. Fine, elegant tannins. Although it is in the final phase of its life, it still has power. Expressive and complex. Excellent length. As expected, however, it fades slightly with exposure to air.

16.5🯅

Tasted on 21 May 2026 by Julia Elflein

WinewhitedryRuländer

2025 Grauburgunder Qualitätswein trocken

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2589377 24 26 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

15🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

WinewhitedryWeißer Riesling

2024 Lieser Niederberg-Helden Riesling Qualitätswein trocken

Großes Gewächs

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2589227 23 25 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

17.5🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

Sparkling winewhitedryWeißer Riesling

Riesling Sekt trocken

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Lot number DRP 907 133 • 12 % vol alcohol

13🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

Symbols
🯅The rating of the wine is based on a single taster. The taster is named in the context of the rating. The tasting was either open or blind. In case of a blind tasting, it is explicitly labelled as such.
🯅🯅The rating of the wine is based on two tasters. The tasters are named in the context of the rating. The tasting was carried out according to the four-eyes principle, in which both tasters agree on a joint rating.
🯅🯅🯅The rating is based on a tasting by our jury and indicates the Mean value calculated by us from the individual ratings of the tasters. Our mean value is based on the median.
⚖The wine was evaluated in a blind tasting. We have strict rules for blind tastings. The tasters do not receive any information that would allow them to identify the wines. The tasters are only given access to further information that goes beyond the subject matter if it is absolutely necessary for understanding the wines.
🕓We only had limited time to taste the wine  - typically during an open tasting event, such as a wine fair. It was therefore not possible to observe the development of the wine in the glass over a longer period of time. The informative value of our rating may therefore be limited under certain circumstances.
⛬The wine was tasted as a barrel sample or before an official test number (Amtliche Prüfungsnummer or Staatliche Prüfnummer) was issued. We only accept samples of unfilled wines in exceptional cases, and then only if we can assume sufficient stability in the bottle for a period of at least three months.
▲During our tasting, the wine showed conspicuous sensory characteristics. This does not necessarily have to be a wine fault. We categorise the quality and quantity of the abnormality and include it in the rating. Wine faults such as cork taint or an atypical ageing generally lead to a complete rejection.
Tastings that refer to the same bottle of a wine are visually summarised by a dotted line.

Our Latest Posts

Satire

Wellness for the Vineyards

Massage Techniques for Vines are Revolutionising Viticulture
Image: weinfreaks.de
In spring, even before the vines begin to bud, the first seasonal workers are already busy tending the vines in the Saar vineyards. At the famous Scharzhofberg, the focus is not on pruning or tilling the soil. Instead, you see the workers bent over the vines, massaging the wood with their hands just a few centimetres above the root zone.
Facts

The Rescue of Moselle Apollo and Steep-Slope Viticulture

Melanargia and Deutsche Umwelthilfe Have Lost at the Court, Rescue Measures for the Moselle Apollo are Effective
Image: Detlef Mader
At the end of 2023, we reported for the first time on the serious threat to the Moselle Apollo butterfly. In April 2025, a report was published on the feared imminent extinction of the unique knight butterfly and the absurd lawsuit brought by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Melanargia – Rheinisch-Westfälischer Lepidopterologen (AGL) and the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) for a ban on helicopter spraying in steep-slope viticulture on the Moselle, which has since been rejected by the administrative courts in four rulings. Therefore, there are now renewed hope.
Facts

When Wine Disappears

On the Erosion of a Culture of Enjoyment
Image: Pixabay
Wine is more than just a matter of taste or fashion. It is a structural element of everyday life and has long been embedded in social rituals and cultural habits. In the post-war period, especially from the 1950s onwards, wine became a symbol of stability, routine and prosperity. The integration of wine into everyday life was not a luxury phenomenon, but rather an expression of the social and economic conditions of the time, which were characterised by predictable career paths, stable incomes and clear social milieus.
Comment

Dry January

Moral Imperative or Cultureless Dogmatism?
Image: Pixabay
At the beginning of each year, the collective abstinence parade known as Dry January begins anew. A whole month without alcohol, marketed as an act of self-control, as a contribution to physical regeneration, as a signal of a “sensible lifestyle”. Those who opt out of this ritual quickly find themselves under pressure to justify their decision. What appears to be a voluntary health initiative, however, on closer inspection turns out to be a media-driven standardisation project that suppresses enjoyment, culture and differentiation in favour of simple messages.
Obituary

Remembering Hans-Günter Schwarz

On the Death of the Legendary Winemaker
Image: Wikipedia
Germany's wine world is in mourning. Hans-Günter Schwarz passed away on 21 November 2025 at the age of 84. For decades, Schwarz was arguably the most prominent figure in the German wine scene. He established the international reputation of the Müller-Catoir winery and trained many young winemakers to become top producers. His achievements remain unrivalled to this day.
Comment

Terroir and Misunderstanding

Why the Grape Variety Matters
Image: weinfreaks.de
“A spectre is haunting the world of wine. Its name is terroir.” [translated] With these words, Reinhard Löwenstein once opened his famous essay “Vom Öchsle zum Terroir” (From Oechsle to Terroir), published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in October 2003. The article was preceded by years of discussion that had shaped the German wine scene since at least the late 1990s. Löwenstein's essay was of enormous importance to the discourse at the time. In many respects, it is still highly topical. Nevertheless, the headline itself contains a serious misunderstanding.
Tasting

Bordeaux: 2022 a Vintage of the Century?

Great Wines despite Great Drought
Image: weinfreaks.de
Apostrophising a vintage as the vintage of the century even before a centenary has passed may seem premature. However, with regard to the 2022s from the Bordeaux region, the assessment that exceptional wines were produced in that year is undoubtedly anything but bold. Of course, not all châteaux were able to triumph. Moreover, the 2022 was anything but a sure-fire success. The course of the vintage presented the winemakers with major challenges. However, in many cases, the result in the bottle can be downright inspiring. We tasted a cross-section of the vintage on the occasion of the presentation of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux at this year's ProWein.
Comment

ProWein in Decline

Large Drop in Exhibitors and Visitors at the International Wine Fair in Düsseldorf
Image: Messe Düsseldorf
In its press release, Messe Düsseldorf celebrates ProWein 2025 (16–18 March) as a success. However, the facts speak a different language. Only 4200 exhibitors, 20 per cent fewer than last year, were spread across the eleven exhibition halls. The number of visitors also fell, by a good ten per cent to 42000 compared to 2024. While the trade fair continues to emphasise the outstanding importance of ProWein for the international wine industry, the exodus of German wine producers in particular has reached a new dimension. Only around 900 exhibitors came from Germany in 2025.

A selection of our previous posts

Tasting

Valley of Many Cellars

Valpolicella with Potential
Image: weinfreaks.de
The Valpolicella area lies east of Lake Garda and north of Verona in the Italian region of Veneto. Only red wines are produced, which are often rather light-bodied and are drunk young. However, the top wines have much more potential and can mature gracefully. A selection of wines presented by the Consorzio tutela dei vini della Valpolicella in the run-up to this year's ProWein international wine fair during a lunch at the Rossini restaurant in Düsseldorf emphasised the fact that they also make excellent accompaniments to food.
Tasting

Stylistic Device Reduction

Playing with the Fire
Image: Pixabay
Reduction occurs during fermentation as a result of a stress situation for the yeasts, primarily due to a lack of oxygen or nitrogen. It manifests itself in the wine as a sulfurous odour reminiscent of burnt matches, flint or flintstone. Reduction must be differentiated from the related mercaptan sulfurous off-flavour, which can produce unpleasant odours of rotten eggs, among other things, and is a serious wine defect. Because some reduction notes are perceived as quite pleasant, many winemakers try to bring them out in the wine.
Facts

We Like to Say No to Diam

Wine Merchant Finds Scientific Proof for the Lack of Sensory Neutrality of Diam Press Corks
Image: Pixabay
Rolf Cordes is a wine merchant from Mühldorf am Inn. In numerous tastings, he repeatedly observed the negative influence of the pressed corks of the southern French manufacturer Diam Bouchage on the taste of the wine. Since then, he has repeatedly questioned the sensory neutrality promised by the manufacturer.
Tasting

On the Trail of the Romans

The Resurrection of the Vinum Hadrianum
Image: Vinum Hadrianum
It was his grandfather who once awakened Piero Pavone's fascination for Roman history. In Pavone's hometown, the small town of Atri at the foot of the Abruzzi, the ancient Hadria, this history is still omnipresent and alive today. As a young man, Piero Pavone was initially drawn away from Atri to the big city. But twenty years later he returned to his roots, with the idea of reviving the Vinum Hadrianum, the wine from Roman times.
Tasting

Finally Ortsweine!

Paradigm Shift at Dr. Heger
Image: Deutsches Weininstitut
Unlike some others in the industry, Joachim Heger from Ihringen has always strictly and consistently separated his wine lines. While the Dr. Heger winery almost exclusively offers wines from the single vineyards of the Kaiserstuhl, which are characterised by volcanic rock, the Weinhaus Joachim Heger primarily processes the grapes grown on loess soil from a producer association. Recently, however, the winery put four bottlings on sale for the first time as Ihringer ortsweine without indicating the single vineyard. We have tasted them.
Tasting

Martin Gerlach's Restart on the Lower Moselle

A First Stocktaking After the Merger of Gerlachs Mühle and Von Schleinitz
Image: Pixabay
Martin Gerlach was and is the owner of the Gerlachs Mühle winery on the Lower Moselle. When the possibility of a merger with the traditional von Schleinitz estate presented itself to him two years ago, he jumped at the chance. The “merger on trial” planned for the first few years, however, already promises to be a complete success. With the first vintage of the two united wineries, Martin Gerlach has already made a remarkable new start.
Tasting

Der Klitzekleine Ring Hits the VDP

Steep Slope Rescue on Behalf of Riesling
Image: Deutsches Weininstitut
The Bernkasteler Ring, also known as the Kleiner Ring, was founded in 1899 as an association of winery owners from the Middle Moselle. Since 1901, it has organized wine auctions for its members. It is thus the oldest society in the region to hold wine auctions. Today, the Bernkasteler Ring also includes estates on the Saar and Ruwer rivers. A few years later, in 1908, the Großer Ring formed as a second large winegrowers' association, which first auctioned wines in 1910. The Großer Ring later gave rise to the regional Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer, now the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). A completely different approach is taken by Der klitzekleine Ring, founded in 2005. As the name suggests, the group, which currently comprises ten wineries, does not take itself too seriously.
Tasting

… at the End, the Germans Always Win

The Pinot Noir Country Competition
Image: Pixabay
Although the Pinot Noir is better suited than any other red wine variety to produce unique and incomparable, elegant, finesse-rich and multi-layered wines in a comparatively cool climate, after the Second World War German winegrowers mainly produced pale-coloured, thin drinks smelling of raspberry syrup. It was not until the 1980s that a few ambitious German winegrowers began to think about cultivating and developing Pinot Noir. They drastically reduced yields, separated from inferior high-yielding clones and perfected barrique ageing. Only gradually did this work bear fruit. Today, as our blind tasting shows, German Pinot Noirs are quite capable of not only catching up with their Burgundian competitors, but in some cases even surpassing them in quality.