Weingut Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt/Saar Valley
Scharzhofbeger Riesling Eiswein
Annegret Reh-Gartner, estate proprietor, is thrilled to announce that the estate’s team was able to pick enough frozen and very ripe (130° Oechsle) grapes for ca. 500 liters of Eiswein at 6:00 a.m. on 18 December, at a chilly -9°C/15.8°F. “This is the crowning touch to a terrific 2009 vintage.”

Weingut Hans Wirsching/Iphofen in southeastern Franken
Iphöfer Kronsberg Riesling Eiswein
The Wirsching team was out in the bitter cold (-10°C/14°F) early on 18 December to pick frozen Riesling grapes with a ripeness level of 193° Oechsle. Overall, estate proprietor Dr. Heinrich Wirsching is exceptionally pleased with vintage 2009: “This year marks the 350th anniversary of the Silvaner grape in Germany. In our top site, Julius-Echter-Berg, we were fortunate enough to have harvested Silvaner ripe enough (more than 160° Oechsle) to qualify for TBA and Beerenauslese status.

Weingut Schmitt’s Kinder/Randersacker in central Franken
Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl Silvaner Eiswein
The Silvaner anniversary year ended on a good note for Karl Schmitt: “Between 6:30 and 8:00 a.m. on 18 December, we harvested frozen Silvaner grapes with a ripeness of 212° Oechsle. Despite the small yield (ca. less than 15% of normal volume) and freezing temperatures (-11°C/ 12.2°F), our team is elated with this rare gift.”

Weingut S.A. Prüm/Bernkastel-Wehlen in the Mosel Valley
Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein
The Eiswein harvest for Raimund Prüm and team started at 8:00 a.m. on 18 December. By 10:00 a.m., the frozen Riesling grapes were in the cellar and ready to press.

Weingut Deutzhof Cossmann-Hehle/Mayschoss in the Ahr
Alterahrer Eck Riesling Eiswein
Wolfgang Hehle reports: “At a temperature of -9°C/15.8°F our team of nine harvested Riesling from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. (18 December) in this steep, slate site. Some of the vines are ungrafted. Our Eiswein measured 163° on the Oechsle scale.”

Wein- und Sektgut Barth/Hattenheim in the Rheingau
Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Eiswein
Between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. (18 December), and during a glorious, but cold (-8.3°C/17°F) sunrise, the Barth team harvested Riesling grapes with 183° Oechsle. The frozen ccrop yielded a total of 50 liters.

Weingut Fitz-Ritter/Bad Dürkheim in the Pfalz
Dürkheimer Hochbenn Riesling Eiswein
Under clear skies and a light blanket of snow (-10°C/14°F), a team of 20 began picking at 7:00 a.m. and finished by 8:30 a.m. Must weights measured 165° Oechsle.

Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach in the Rheingau
Staatsdomaine Bergstrasse/Bensheim in the Hessische Bergstrasse (south of Frankfurt)
Heppenheimer Centgericht Riesling Eiswein
According to managing director Dieter Greiner, the Hessian State domain in the Bergstrasse harvested 200 liters of Eiswein with 190° Oechsle on 18 December.

Fürstlich Castell’sches Domänenamt/Castell in eastern Franken
Casteller Schlossberg Silvaner Eiswein, Casteller Kugelspiel Silvaner Eiswein
On 18 December, in the chilly (-9°C/15.8°F) morning hours, the estate’s team picked frozen Silvaner grapes with 180° Oechsle in the Schlossberg and Kugelspiel sites. In all, ca. 110 liters were harvested. Silvaner, in particular, really shines in 2009...just as one would expect of a “birthday child.” The estate not only hosted a grand tasting of a century of Silvaner wines to celebrate the varietal’s 350th birthday in April of 2009, but also boasts the first documented site of Silvaner plantings in Germany (1659).

Weingut Graf Adelmann/Kleinbottwar in Württemberg
Kleinbottwarer Oberer Berg Muskattrollinger Eiswein
The Adelmann estate was able to harvest frozen Muskattrollinger grapes with 140° Oechsle in the early morning of 18 December, when temperatures dipped to -11°C/12.2°F. As the name implies, the late-ripening red varietal is a member of the Muscat family, and in Württemberg, an old varietal dating back to at least the mid-19th century. By 1900, Burg Schaubeck, the Adelmann’s ancestral castle and home of the estate, was the last outpost for this varietal prized for its spiciness and pronounced fruitiness.

Staatsweingut Weinsberg/Weinsberg in Württemberg
Weinsberger Schemelsberg Riesling Eiswein
A team of 20 harvested frozen Riesling grapes in the ... site as of 6:30 a.m. on 18 December, when outdoor temperatures stood at -11°C/12.2°F. By  8:00 a.m. the grapes were in the cellar and being pressed. Must weights were a very solid 184° Oechsle.

Weingut Karl Haidle/Kernen-Stetten in Württemberg (Rems River Valley)
Stettener Pulvermächer Riesling Eiswein
A precious 80 liters of Riesling Eiswein grapes were harvested. Pickers worked quickly in very cold temperatures (-12°C/10.4°F). Our grapes achieved Oechsle readings of 210°.

Weingut Jürgen Ellwanger/Winterbach in Württemberg (Rems River Valley)
Winterbacher Hungerberg Riesling Eiswein
The Ellwanger family weathered temperatures of -11°C/12.2°F as of 7:00 a.m. on 18 December to pick frozen Riesling grapes with a ripeness level of 190° Oechsle. The outcome: 150 liters.

Juliusspital/Würzburg in Franken
Würzburger Abtsleite Silvaner Eiswein
Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner Eiswein
The estate with the world’s largest acreage of Silvaner vineyards was able to harvest Eiswein grapes in two of its top sites: Würzburger Abtsleite and Iphöfer Julius-Echer-Berg, with must weights of 175° Oechsle and 180° Oechsle, respectively, on 18 December. Picking started in the dark at 7:00 a.m. with floodlights in place. Yields resulted in 120 liters of Eiswein in each site.

Weingut Kruger-Rumpf/Münster-Sarmsheim in the Nahe
Münsterer Pittersberg Riesling Eiswein
Stefan Rumpf estimates that his frozen Riesling grapes yielded some 120 liters of Eiswein. Pickers braved temperatures of -15°C/5°F to bring in a crop with ripeness levels between 160 and 260 degrees Oechsle on 19 December.

Weingut Horst Sauer/Escherndorf in Franken (the Main Loop east of Würzburg)
Escherndorfer Lump Silvaner Eiswein
At a temperature of  -14°C/6.8°F and a light blanket of snow on 19 November, we harvested Silvaner grapes with 224° Oechsle – a record-breaking high since we harvested our first  Eiswein in 1992.

Weingut Ratzenberger/Bacharach in the Mittelrhein
Bacharacher Kloster Fürstental Riesling Eiswein
On 19 December, 20 pickers weathered bitterly cold temperatures (-14°C/6.8°F), 10 cm/4 inches of snow, and poor road conditions to gather ca. 300 liters of frozen grapes with an Oechsle reading of 210°.

Weingut A. Christmann/Gimmeldingen in the Pfalz
Königsbacher Idig Riesling Eiswein
Estate proprietor Stefan Christmann reports: “On 18 December, we faltered a bit...a temperature of -9°C/15.8°F wasn’t really cold enough to harvest Eiswein. Now, we’re glad we waited a day. The temperature dropped to -16.5°C/2.3°F. We brought in ca. 350 liters of frozen berries in perfect condition, with a must weight of 245° Oechsle.

Weingut Schloss Westerhaus/Ingelheim in Rheinhessen
Schloss Westerhaus Spätburgunder Eiswein
With a small group of “frost-resistant” helpers, Count and Countess von Schönburg-Glauchau headed for the vineyard on 19 December to pick healthy, frozen Pinot Noir grapes with an Oechsle reading of over 240°. Overall volume: ca. 200 liters from the equivalent of one kilometer (half a mile) of vines.

Staatlicher Hofkeller/Würzburg in Franken
Abtswinder Altenberg Silvaner Eiswein
From 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. on 19 December a team of 11 harvested ca. 1,400 kg/3,000 lbs of frozen Silvaner grapes with a must weight of 238° Oechsle. By noon, the first drops fell from the press.

Weingut Acham-Magin/Forst in the Pfalz
Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Eiswein
After the “messy” weather of November, the estate did not count on an Eiswein harvest in 2009...but on 20 December, at a temperature of -15°C/5°F, pickers were able to gather 150 liters of frozen grapes that registered 245° on the Oechsle scale. One Eiswein customer describes the experience of sipping such a rarity as if “an angel were pissing on the tongue.”