THE VDP.Sachsen / Saale-Unstrut

Welcome to the VDP.Sachsen / Saale-Unstrut

Cool-climate wines from the northernmost vineyards of Germany

Saxony, known as Sachsen in Germany, is one of the smallest winegrowing regions in Germany and – located near Dresden – the north-easternmost in Europe. Only Saale-Unstrut between Naumburg and Freyburg is more northerly as an officially recognized quality winegrowing region – approx. 160 kilometers west of Sachsen. Both growing regions are characterized by a continental climate with cold winters, hot summers and strong temperature fluctuations between day and night. Often the wines from these two regions are fresh, fragrant and filigreed, aromatic and intense – VDP.Wines well worth seeking out and tasting!


ICY IN WINTER – SUNNY IN SUMMER

The two winegrowing regions of Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut have one thing in common – in contrast to the western winegrowing regions, both regions are strongly influenced by the continental climate. Especially in the eastern part of Sachsen, around Dresden, this means extreme temperature differences between summer and winter. While the thermometer can drop to -28°C in winter, the vines can recover from the cold in summer with an average of 1.570 hours of sunshine annually and summer temperatures that roughly correspond to those in Rheinhessen. Due to the cold winter, however, average annual temperatures are only 9.3°C. In the Saale-Unstrut area around Naumburg and Freyburg, about 150 km further to the west and even more to the north, the temperature differences are not quite as high, with a somewhat more moderate summer peak, which gives the wines even more playfulness. For comparison: Both regions are much more northerly than the Ahr. Saale-Unstrut is the northernmost quality winegrowing region in Germany. 

The constant change between daytime warmth and coolness at night (the temperature differences are often higher here than in the west), the succession of sunshine, rain and wind, the constantly changing stimuli, the struggle by the vine to hold its own against it, all create special conditions that demand a lot from the vines and thus encourage the production of high quality wines. The aromatic density of the Sachsen and Saale-Unstrut wines is reinforced by the very low average yields per hectare, a mere roughly 45 hectoliters per hectare.

THE HISTORY OF VDP.SACHSEN / SAALE-UNSTRUT

After reunification, only a few winegrowers in the two German winegrowing regions of Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen dared to take the plunge into independence – and even fewer thought that the time had come to align themselves with the traditions of the VDP's top wine producers. But as early as 1996, two Estates joined the VDP with the support of the Franken regional association: the Lützkendorf estate from Bad Kösen (Saale-Unstrut) and Schloss Proschwitz-Prinz zur Lippe (Sachsen). In 2001 the Pawis estate (Freyburg an der Unstrut) turned the duet into a trio. Since spring 2010, Klaus Zimmerling (Pillnitz) has been the fourth member of the alliance – and on November 26th, 2010, the centenary of the founding of the VDP/VDNV, VDP.Sachsen-Saale-Unstrut became the tenth regional association, enriching Germany’s broader premium winegrowing landscape.

Board of directors of the VDP.Sachsen / Saale-Unstrut

CHAIRMAN
DR. GEORG PRINZ ZUR LIPPE

VDP.Estate Schloss Proschwitz Prinz zur Lippe
Heiliger Grund 2
01662 Meißen OT Proschwitz

Tel.: +49 (0)3521 40600

Mail: weingut@schloss-proschwitz.de

Contact to the VDP.Sachsen / Saale-Unstrut

OFFICE VDP.SACHSEN / SAALE-UNSTRUT
RAMONA MARSCHALL

c/o VDP.Estate Schloss Proschwitz Prinz zur Lippe
Dorfanger 19
01665 Zadel

Tel.: +49 03521 4767922
Mail: ramona.marschall@schloss-proschwitz.de