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Staatlicher Hofkeller and Würzburg ResidenzImage: Deutsches Weininstitut
Staatlicher Hofkeller and Würzburg Residenz. The history of the Staatlicher Hofkeller dates back to 1128. In exchange for a plot of land in Zell am Main to found a monastery, the Würzburg bishop Embricho received a farm with vineyards from two brothers named Johannes and Heinrich – surnames were not yet common at the time. In the course of secularization, the winery, which was henceforth run under the name Fürstbischöflicher Hofkeller, became the Königlich Bayerischer Hofkeller, which passed to the Free State of Bavaria after the revolution of 1918 and the end of the monarchy. Since then, the winery has officially been known as the Staatlicher Hofkeller, and since the early 18th century, it has been housed in the Würzburg Residenz, built by the famous baroque architect Balthasar Neumann. The residence with its extensive, labyrinth-like cellar passages was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. The Staatlicher Hofkeller currently cultivates around 120 hectares of vineyards.

Our latest ratings

WinereddryBlauer Spätburgunder

2020 Marienthal Trotzenberg Spätburgunder Qualitätswein

Paul Schumacher, Marienthal

Germany

Ahr • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 1791688 7 22 • 13.5 % vol alcohol

18🯅

Tasted on 18 January 2026 by Werner Elflein

Initially quite light, transparent cherry red, becoming increasingly darker and opaque with exposure to air. Complex, fine oak aroma with a broad spectrum of aromas ranging from black cherry, elderberry, blackberry, cranberry and raspberry. Stylish Pinot Noir with distinctive but high-quality, ripe, polymerising tannins that give a good idea of where the journey is heading. Some cocoa and dark chocolate on the palate. Sweet fruit. Elegant acidity. Although the tannins still slow things down a bit on the finish, it has excellent length in perspective. Currently still a little closed and not fully developed. However, it shows that it will deliver on its promise for the future. My rating takes into account the great potential of this wine. Not a show Pinot, but a real long-distance runner. Definitely decant and wait a few more years.

17🯅

Tasted on 18 January 2026 by Julia Elflein

WinewhitedryWeißer Riesling

2024 Riesling Qualitätswein trocken

Puder, Zellertal

Germany

Pfalz • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4187009 19 24 • 12 % vol alcohol

15.5🯅

Tasted on 17 January 2026 by Werner Elflein

Light yellow. Pronounced mineral nose with distinct herbal spice and floral notes of white blossoms. Subtle yellow fruit aromas, partly reminiscent of stone fruit. Distinctive and typical taste of a Riesling from a very calcareous soil. The strongly buffered acidity still seems very lively. Delicate hint of extract sweetness. Cool Riesling fruit. Juicy and expressive, with pull on the palate. Complex finish. Long and persistent.

WinewhitesweetWeißer Riesling

2013 Erden Treppchen Riesling Kabinett

Jos. Christoffel jr. (Christoffel-Prüm), Ürzig

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2602144 1 14 • 7.5 % vol alcohol

17🯅

Tasted on 16 January 2026 by Werner Elflein

Golden yellow. Deep, mineral aroma of peach and apricot with hints of yellow apple. Refined, delicate, elegant Kabinett with a delicate sweetness. Fine spice on the palate. Excellent length. Traditional style. Great potential. Still youthful and fresh after a good twelve years in the bottle.

17🯅

Tasted on 16 January 2026 by Julia Elflein

WinewhitesweetWeißer Riesling

2012 Ürzig Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese

Jos. Christoffel jr. (Christoffel-Prüm), Ürzig

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2602144 2 13 • 7 % vol alcohol

17🯅▲

Bottle leakage

Tasted on 15 January 2026 by Werner Elflein

Golden yellow with sparkling reflections. Mineral, delicate, quite restrained aroma. Hardly any primary fruit. Ripe Riesling aromas with subtle hints of yellow stone fruit. Harmoniously matured, with elegant, perfectly integrated acidity and moderate sweetness. Classic style, spontaneously fermented in wooden barrels. Very long and persistent.

17🯅▲

Bottle leakage

Tasted on 15 January 2026 by Julia Elflein

WinereddryBlauer Spätburgunder

2022 Zell Klosterstück Spätburgunder Qualitätswein trocken

Puder, Zellertal

Germany

Pfalz • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4187009 12 24 • 12 % vol alcohol

15.5🯅

Tasted on 14 January 2026 by Werner Elflein

Dark, completely opaque red. Lively, slightly lactic, woody, sweetish aroma of blackberry jam and sour cherry. Powerful on the palate, which is surprising given the alcohol content of only 12 %. Fruit underpinned by ripe, partly sandy, partly fine-grained, polymerising tannins. Aroma of cocoa. Full of character, more baroque than elegant. Very distinctive. Long and persistent.

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

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.
Facts

Against viticulture and for the death of the Apollo butterfly

Absurd lawsuit against Rhineland-Palatinate
Image: Pixabay
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) is a non-profit organisation under German association law, but above all it is a group of lobbyists who receive state support for their activities. According to the online platform auto.de, this amounted to almost five million Euros in 2018. The DUH received further 2.5 million Euros from the lucrative business of issuing warning letters. DUH is now suing the state of Rhineland-Palatinate together with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Rheinisch-Westfälischer Lepidopterologen (AGL). Since 2011, the state's Ministry of Viticulture has repeatedly granted winegrowers in the Lower Moselle region exemptions for helicopter spraying, which is prohibited by law in the state.
Satire

From Abtsberg to Äbtissinsberg?

Gender equality in vineyard names
Image: weinfreaks.de
There are over 2600 individual vineyards in Germany, and many of them can look back on a history of several hundred years. Until recently, the proper names of the vineyards were never scrutinised. At the end of last year, however, a newly formed working group met for the first time at the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, which is responsible for viticulture, to examine the catalogue of German vineyard sites from the point of view of gender equality. The working group is chaired by linguist Angelika Balgthöter-Hasenfratz from the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Facts

Underground power lines instead of vineyards

Hochheim am Main defends itself
Image: Pixabay
Germany is facing an energy transition. Fossil fuels, whose share of electricity generation continues to decline but still currently accounts for around 35 per cent, are not available indefinitely. In 100 years at the latest, the remaining raw materials would be exhausted if the production volume remained the same. Because politicians have been asleep for decades, things need to move quickly now. Forward-looking and far-sighted planning has fallen by the wayside. Construction measures are being driven forward with a crowbar that are likely to destroy the economic performance of an entire region and, not least, a wine culture that is thousands of years old.
Tasting

“A new chapter”

Christoph Eifel continues the family tradition
Image: Christoph Eifel
The history of the Trittenheim family business can be traced back to 1635. The next generation took over in 2021. The Ernst Eifel winery became the Christoph Eifel winery. The question of what exactly has changed as a result of the generational change is not easy to answer. It would undoubtedly be a miracle if Christoph Eifel, who learnt the winemaking trade from Nik Weis in Leiwen and Thomas Haag in Lieser before studying viticulture in Geisenheim, did not introduce his own ideas and carefully develop the style of the wines. But this does not necessarily mean a break.

A selection of our previous posts

Tasting

A vision lives on

From the Fuchs-Jacobus winery to Gut Steyerberg
Image: Gut Steyerberg
As early as 1989, the Jacobus family cultivated their vineyards according to the guidelines of the Demeter Association, making them one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in Germany. Wilfried and Marlene Jacobus have now largely retired. Because their children did not want to take over the business, it was actually supposed to be sold. But things turned out differently. Thorben Bosse took over, and the Fuchs-Jacobus winery has since become Gut Steyerberg. Werner Elflein tasted a great wine collection and spoke with the new owner.
Tasting

Innovation Grauburgunder

100 years of Bickensohl Weinvogtei
Image: weinfreaks.de
Until the 1980s, Pinot Gris was still known exclusively as Ruländer in Germany. The grapes produce mostly sweet, opulent white wines. When the demand for dry wines increased, many German winegrowers changed their harvesting strategy. They now harvested the Ruländer grapes earlier and in a healthy, botrytis-free state. In order to leave the image of the chubby Ruländer behind them, they named the grape variety Grauburgunder on their bottle labels from then on. The first Ruländer to be marketed as Grauburgunder was bottled by the Bickensohl winegrowers' cooperative.
Tasting

From green to scarlet

The geologically unique vineyards of Prinz Salm
Image: Prinz Salm
As Germany's oldest family-owned winery, Prinz Salm looks back on a history dating back to the year 1200. Until the beginning of the 21st century, the winery concentrated on vineyards in and around Wallhausen. In 2008, Michael Prinz Salm-zu Salm took over the vineyards of the former winery Villa Sachsen in Bingen. This means that the current owner, Felix Prinz zu Salm-Salm, not only has top vineyards on the Nahe, but also in neighbouring Rhinehessen. The green slate in Wallhausen and the scarlet soil of the Bingen Scharlachberg are unique.
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

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

The Wachau in motion

Stepping on the botrytis brake
Image: Pixabay
For a long time, anyone looking for the best dry Rieslings in the world could hardly avoid the Wachau. Names like F. X. Pichler, Franz Hirtzberger or Emmerich Knoll filled the glossy pages of wine magazines for decades. Their Smaragd wines, grown on the slopes and steep slopes of the Danube valley between Melk and Krems, fetched top prices. They still do, but more than a few wineries in the region have recently complained about dwindling interest in their wines. The trend towards leaner, lower-alcohol wines proved incompatible with the opulent, high-alcohol and often botrytised Rieslings and Grüne Veltliners produced here. So the Wachau is a hopeless case? Not at all. For our tasting, we specifically searched for winemakers whose wines meet the contemporary desire of wine drinkers for fine, elegant white wines with a moderate alcohol content.
Tasting

Between Vienne and Valence

White and red wines from the Northern Rhône
Image: Pixabay
Geologically and climatically, the northern part of the Côtes du Rhône differs significantly from the southern. Between Vienne in the north and Valence in the south, the river flows through a valley bordered by the foothills of the Massif Central in the west and the Alps in the east. On the sometimes very steep, often terraced slopes, Syrah is mainly grown as the only red wine variety permitted in the various appellations. The share of white wines has increased in recent years and is now almost 20 percent. The main grape variety here is Viognier. However, Marsanne Blanche and Roussanne are also gaining some importance.
Tasting

Germany turns red

Pinot Noir on the rise
Image: Deutsches Weininstitut
As recently as 2002, American wine critic Robert M. Parker claimed, “German Pinot Noir is a grotesque and ghastly wine that tastes like a flawed, sweet, faded, watered-down red Burgundy from an incompetent producer.” This statement was already absurd and wrong at the time. Today, more than ten years later, it is even more so. More and more producers can score with their Pinot Noirs in this country. We introduce you to some new stars in the German Pinot Noir sky.