Top 100 wines of Saale-Unstrut
Discover the top 100 best wines of Saale-Unstrut as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Saale-Unstrut and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Saale-Unstrut
Saale-Unstrut is the northernmost of Germany's 13 wine-growing regions. At 51 degrees northern latitude, it is one of the most northerly wine regions in the world. It takes its name from the two rivers on the banks of which the Vines of the region grow, and is composed of three non-contiguous Parts located mainly in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, with around 650 hectares (1600 acres) of Vineyards, often terraced, on South and south-west-facing slopes along the narrow river valleys. A smaller area of 20 hectares (50 acres) is located in the state of Thüringen and a block of just 7 hectares (17 acres) in Brandenburg.
Two towns within the region, Freyburg and Karsdorf, each have one vineyard which has been accorded Grosse Lage status.
Wine has been grown here for more than 1000 years. The Cistercian monks founded the Pforta Abbey in approximately 1100 AD and established the Pfortenser Köppelberg vineyard, which still exists today. The wine industry in this part of Germany had a Hard time during the post-war communist era, but since reunification quality has improved, and the area under vine has expanded slightly.
Saale-Unstrut enjoys plenty of sunshine and has one of the lowest rainfalls of any German wine-growing region. Soils are mainly sedimentary with shell, limestone and sandstone predominating. Despite these favorable conditions, the region's northern Climate is uncompromising, and even when yields are kept low, Spätlese or Auslese wines can only be produced during the warmest of years.
Müller-Thurgau is the most widely planted variety in the Saale-Unstrut region, accounting for around 20 percent of the total vineyard area.
News from the vineyard of Saale-Unstrut
Walls: Celebrating 50 years of Gigondas
When I have some time to myself in the southern Rhône, my favourite place to relax is the peaceful village of Gigondas. I had even more reason to visit this June, as the growers’ syndicate was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the appellation. Over a meal at Domaine du Clos des Tourelles, we had the opportunity to taste wines spanning five decades, including a remarkable 1971 that was still very much alive and kicking. Gigondas has long been recognised as an exceptional site for winemaking, bu ...
Château Latour owner Artémis invests in Champagne Jacquesson
Artémis Domaines has taken a minority stake in the capital of Jacquesson in Champagne, the groups said in a statement this week. Financial details weren’t disclosed. The partnership marks a new departure for Artémis, owned by the Pinault family. Alongside Château Latour, the group’s portfolio already includes Eisele Vineyard estate in Napa Valley, Clos de Tart in Burgundy and Château-Grillet in the Rhône. Maison Jacquesson traces its history back to 1798 and has been owned by the Chiquet family ...
Aldo Fiordelli: ‘The east-facing vineyard absorbs the morning’s first sunlight’
I’m fortunate enough to taste a fair amount of fine wine each year and I have come to the conclusion that each of us is forced to build our own stylistic preferences, regardless of the appellation or classification of a wine. Instead of simply choosing a bottle of Bordeaux over Barolo, for example, most of us probably aim to drink each on the right occasion and, in doing so, carve out our individual preferences for these wines. My personal bias – which I must confess, to be fair and transp ...