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Bremm CalmontImage: Deutsches Weininstitut
Bremm Calmont. With a slope of up to 68 degrees and a height of 380 metres, the Bremm Calmont is one of the steepest vineyards in Europe. There is written evidence of viticulture in the Calmont since about the year 1000, but indications suggest that the Romans were already cultivating grapes here much earlier. The name of the mountain derives from the Latin calidus mons (hot mountain) or, less likely, from calvus mons (bare mountain). According to the German wine law of 1971, the district of Eller in the neighbouring municipality of Ediger-Eller also owns shares of the Calmont. As a result of unprofitable cultivation, a good five-sixths of the originally planted vineyard area lay fallow in the 1990s. At the turn of the millennium, the Bremm winemaker Ulrich Franzen († 2010) recultivated the 1.8 hectare Fachkaul and planted cross terraces there.

Our latest ratings

WinewhitedryBlauer Silvaner

2024 Sulzfeld Blauer Silvaner Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.ORTSWEIN®

Zehnthof – Theo Luckert, Sulzfeld am Main

Germany

Franken • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 4050 5 25 • 12 % vol alcohol

17🯅

Tasted on 9 February 2026 by Werner Elflein

Bright lemon yellow with luminous reflections. Vegetable, ethereal aroma of cantaloupe melon and yellow fruits with floral notes. Fine vegetable spice on the palate. Juicy fruit, minerality characterised by shell limestone, elegant acidity, excellent length.

WinereddryBlauer Spätburgunder

2019 Lahr Kronenbühl Spätburgunder SC Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.ERSTE LAGE® / VDP.ERSTES GEWÄCHS®

Wöhrle, Lahr

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 410 20 21 • 13 % vol alcohol

17.5🯅

Tasted on 7 February 2026 by Werner Elflein

Slightly transparent cherry red. Lightly woody nose with fine roasted aromas. Scents of dark forest berries, especially blackberries. Cool, juicy and spicy Pinot fruit, finely fruity aromas, great elegance, good acidity. Predominantly velvety, but also some fine-grained tannins. Recognisable influence of loess. Excellent length.

17🯅

Tasted on 7 February 2026 by Julia Elflein

WinewhitedryWeißer Riesling

2021 Hochheim Stielweg Riesling Alte Reben Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.ERSTE LAGE® / VDP.ERSTES GEWÄCHS®

Künstler, Hochheim am Main

Germany

Rheingau • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 40060 14 22 • 13 % vol alcohol

18🯅

Tasted on 6 February 2026 by Werner Elflein

18🯅

Tasted on 6 February 2026 by Julia Elflein

18🯅

Tasted on 14 June 2025 by Werner Elflein

One of Gunter Künstler's most remarkable Rieslings regularly comes from the vineyard in Hochheim Stielweg, which was planted in 1964. Declared a dry Auslese at the end of the 1990s, the wine is now labelled a Erste Lage, nominally second only to the Große Gewächse. However, it does not have to hide there at all. The 2021 meets the expectations that one can have of a dry world-class Riesling, regardless of the estate and association's own classifications. The focus here is not on concentration and density, but on elegance and finesse. This is not the first time that we have encountered ripe apricot and tropical flavours in the breathtakingly mineral nose of the shimmering green-yellow Stielweg. After an exciting opening on the tongue, the Stielweg shines with great depth and complexity, finesse and elegance. A delicate green herbaceousness dances back and forth in the mouth and plays around the fruit characterised by maracuja. The acidity vibrates softly. Extremely long and persistent. This is Riesling. This is Stielweg.

18🯅

Tasted on 14 June 2025 by Julia Elflein

WinewhitedryWeißer Riesling

2024 Riesling Vom Haardtsandstein Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.GUTSWEIN®

Müller-Catoir, Neustadt an der Weinstraße

Germany

Pfalz • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 5174079 51 25 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

13🯅

Tasted on 5 February 2026 by Werner Elflein

Pale yellow. On the nose, only with an inappropriate reductive character, including a flinty effect. Rudimentary fruit. Very lean on the palate, without really appearing elegant. Does not show much substance. Hints of nectarine and grapefruit. Concurrent, unintegrated and probably also supplemented acidity. Decent length.

WinereddryBlauer Spätburgunder

2021 Zell-Weierbach Spätburgunder Granit Qualitätswein trocken

VDP.ORTSWEIN®

Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein, Offenburg

Germany

Baden • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 506 10 25 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

16🯅

Tasted on 5 February 2026 by Werner Elflein

Slightly transparent, dark cherry red. Spicy aroma of sweet cherry and a hint of blackberry. On the palate, warm, sweet cherry fruit and still quite robust tannins, some of which are already fine-grained and velvety. Elegant acidity. Very good length. Already well developed.

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

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.
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.

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.
Satire

Warning letters for wineries

Do vineyards violate personal rights?
Image: Pixabay
Marcobrunn was the first Rheingau single vineyard to appear by name on a wine label. That was 1726. But now disaster is on the horizon. On behalf of a client from Munich, the Starnberg law firm Beuger & Winkel sent warning letters to several Rheingau wineries. The reason: 38-year-old low voltage electrician Marco Brunn believes his general personal rights have been violated.
Tasting

Better matured with screw cap

Studies prove the disadvantages of natural cork
Image: weinfreaks.de
Numerous studies by renowned research institutes from all over the world have been proving for years and decades that wines benefit just as much from a screw cap as they do from a natural cork, provided the latter is of good quality. Cork taint, tannin ingress, oxidation, runners, crumbling material, limited shelf life – the list of shortcomings of natural corks is long. Nevertheless, thanks to a deep emotional bond between winemakers and wine drinkers that cannot be explained rationally, the traditional stopper is still usually the first choice, especially for high-quality wines.
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

Harteneck reinvents himself

Natural wines from the Markgräflerland
Image: Pixabay
As in other regions of Baden, viticulture in the Markgräflerland is primarily carried out by the winegrowers' cooperatives. Unfortunately, the cooperatives still have a hard time with the topic of ecology. Anyone who drives along the vineyards through the region during the growing season can hardly miss the consequences of blanket herbicide application. Thomas Harteneck takes a different approach. Born in the Palatinate, he settled in Schliengen in 1997 and is one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in Baden.
Comment

Naturals conquer the wine world

Formerly critically eyed, now established
Image: Deutsches Weininstitut
Today, natural wines, also called naturals, form an independent and recognised wine category. Hardly anyone would have seriously expected that this would one day be the case ten or twenty years ago. And rightly so. For a long time, many of the wines were simply faulty. In the meantime, however, the picture has changed decisively. A comment by Werner Elflein.
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.