Kloster Eberbach

Many people are fascinated by the medieval churches in Europe and there is always a sense of mystique around those, making one to wonder what secrets these churches have been entrusted. Wine is also an integral part, with most churches having their own vineyard and the friars heavily involved in the winemaking. With Napoleon returning a lot of these properties to the people, nowadays in Germany not that many vineyard is still associated with the church, but Kloster Eberbach in Rheingau is among the few that still do.

In 1136 thirteen friars from Clairvaux in Burgundy went to this small town in Rheingau and set up a church, along with a vineyard. With their dedication, it became a very big and successful church, with more than 250 different properties in the heyday. In 1211 a devoted Catholic donated a vineyard nearby to the church, which is called Steinberger because it was located on a stony hill, growing Riesling grapes. This vineyard is the best in Kloster Eberbach, covering 31 ha. Facing south, with good sunlight and drainage, it has always been in comparison with another great vineyard in Rheingau – Schloss Johannisberg.

An interesting story also involved this church. Most people will credit the bishop at Schloss Johannisberg as the ‘inventor’ of Spatlese in 1775 but in fact records showed that Kloster Eberbach already produced the same 22 years earlier.

Kloster Eberbach subsequently became a royal vineyard, producing wines for the royal family but also selling to the general public. After WWI the vineyard was taken over by the state, with an eagle symbol added on the label to signify. Because it was very similar to the symbol used by the Nazi, this symbol aroused a sensitive debate within Germany after WWII, but finally it was decided that politics should not interfere with the tradition so the symbol was still maintained. Generally these state-owned vineyards were focused on keeping the tradition instead of pure commercial so the dedication to quality was always the key consideration. No wonder most of the wines from such vineyards were very good.

Kloster Eberbach also produces different quality level, from the simple Kabinett all the way to BA, TBA and Eiswein. Depending on the weather and botrytis, not every year such can be produced. In Steinberger, there is less than 0.04% of Eiswein produced, and even rarer for BA/TBA, which can clearly explain why the prices for such are truly the highest in Germany. The Spatlese is more common, contributing about 1/4 of the total production, with 0.2% under Steinberger. 2% of total production is Auslese, also with 0.2% under Steinberger. That’s why even the Spatlese and Auslese became such a hot item in Germany now, and difficult to find in the market.

The wine I have tasted from Kloster Eberbach:

Wine: Hessische Staatsweinguter Kloster Eberbach Steinberger Riesling Spatlese

Region / Country: Rheingau Germany

Vintage: 2003

Grape: 100% Riesling

ABV: 7.5%           

Price: HK$440

Tasting Date: 3 October 2011

Official website: www.weingut-kloster-eberbach.de

Wineshark Score: 91

Intense lemon colour, this German Riesling has a strong nose of developing aromas of lemon, petrol, apricot, honey, stony, melon and cream. Medium sweetness with a fairly low acidity, the wine is of low alcohol level yet full body and having intense flavors profile of honey, lemon, apricot, petrol, stony, quince and butter. Overall of good quality because of its intense nose and palate, the wine has also complexity. The sweetness is well balanced and harmonious, making it highly refreshing. A reasonable length on the finish, this wine is a good match for light dessert such as custard pudding. Ready to drink now but can further develop for another 2-3 years.