Paula Maia's Wine blog

With the rain it was hard to see what was around, but the shape of the steepy vineyards gave room to the imagination. We were staying in a guesthouse right on the Mosel in Briedel, and arrived just on time to order a Sekt and chill on the porch overlooking the river. I wish I could stop time and live in that idyllic scenario forever.

The good news is that early in the morning we went straight to Graach, where we visited Weingut Kees Kieren. I had had one of their Rieslings before and went there knowing how good they were, however, I was blown away by the quality of their other wines as well as their sparkling grape juice!

Production is limited and rarely comes to the US, so the only way of tasting Kees Kieren wines is there, in Germany. Oh well, twist my arm.

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When I think of Rheingau the first name that comes to my mind is Robert Weil- one of the world’s best producers- and his monumental Chateau-like estate. It was around ten in the morning when we arrived and I have never been so happy to start drinking this early.

Made of Riesling grapes from First Growth vineyards, and only in the best declared vintages, their dessert wines are granted 100 points almost always. Not your everyday wine, but rather for very special occasions, being it a pic-nic in the park or your wedding day, depending how you look at it.

The day kept getting better and better. Lunch had been planned at Schloss Vollrads, which I regret to remember that we missed it. Nonetheless viewing the castle was spectacular and lunch at a nearby winery was so good that I didn’t care. I had a Riesling Flamm Kuchen, a crisp flat bread with cream fraiche, bits of bacon, shallots, and roasted Riesling grapes. Seriously, to die for!

Next stop was Schloss Johannisberg, another symbol of Rheingau region. A majestic sight founded as a Benedictine Monastery around 1100 A.D. Plantings are 100% of Riesling variety and the wines are very nice. The terrace overlooking the vineyards was the perfect place to watch the sunset, while savoring a glass of their own Sekt.

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