VDP.ESTATE
MARKGRAF VON BADEN

“OUR FAMILY HAS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN GERMAN AND BADEN WINEGROWING SINCE 1112.”

SKH BERNHARD MARKGRAF VON BADEN SPEAKS ABOUT HIS WINES AND HIS WINE ESTATE IN SALEM AND DURBACH/BADEN

Markgraf von Baden

Schloss Salem
88682 Salem

Phone+49(0)7553/81-284
Fax+49 (0)7553/81-569
eMailweingut@markgraf-von-baden.de
Owner

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden

Cellarmaster

Manon Dague, Frédéric Kirch, Stephan Höhne

Member Since

2012

Wine Area

111,10 acres

Grape Variety

54 %  Burgundersorten (Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder, Weißburgunder), 21 % Müller- Thurgau, 4 % Riesling 21 % andere regionale Rebsorten

Geology

Granitverwitterung in der Ortenau; Moränenverwitterungsböden alpiner Herkunft am Bodensee

Growing Areas

Baden

VDP: What is so special about your wine estate?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: First and foremost, it is the name of our estate, Markgraf von Baden. Our family is not only the name patron of the federal state in which we live and work; since 1112, it has also had a decisive influence on German and Baden winegrowing through law making, modernisations and innovations. We are truly grateful for the great and simultaneously unique conditions of the natural environment in which we cultivate wine. Both Lake Constance with its glacial soils and proximity to the Alps as well as the Rhine Valley offer unique geological and climatic conditions.

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: We know our history, our winegrowing tradition very well. This ancient tradition gives us the security to look to the future calmly and confidently and to face new challenges – in other words to shape the future of our wine estate courageously.

VDP: To what wine style do you aspire?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: We focus on Pinot varieties, which develop singular, clear and elegant expressions in Baden, on Lake Constance and the Rhine Valley. We are obliged to make Baden terroir palatable at the highest level. Should you ask about my favourite variety, it’s Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)!

VDP: Which of your wines would you recommend to someone who does not yet know your winery -– as an introduction, so to speak?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: I would recommend our Bermatinger Spätburgunder VDP.ORTSWEIN from Lake Constance. Not only does this village wine originate from one of our oldest sites, but its specific Alpine origin makes it something really special.

“I'M PARTICULARLY PROUD OF OUR MARVELLOUSLY CRISP AND CLEAR MÜLLER-THURGAU WINES FROM LAKE CONSTANCE.”

VDP: Of which wine are you particularly proud?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: I would like to draw attention to our marvellously crisp and clear Müller-Thurgau wines from Lake Constance. It is here that this grape variety finds its very best expression.

VDP: Why did you become a vintner?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: I come from a family that has always grown grapes and produced wine. It simply gives us great pleasure to produce Baden wines of the best possible quality. And that shall remain our obligation in the future.

VDP: Do you have role models?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: I would like to name Margrave Wilhelm, precisely because he has fallen into oblivion. In the 19th century, he revolutionised viticulture in Baden, particularly on Lake Constance and put it in a modern perspective.

VDP: What are your next goals?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: Always the same: to persistently strive for perfection in producing the best wine quality possible!

CHORHERRNHALDE
Riesling GG
VDP.GROSSE LAGE®

VDP: Do you stick to traditions? And if so, which ones?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: Our traditions are our vineyards and our typical regional grape varieties. To these we remain dedicated.

VDP: Why should people visit your winery?

SKH Bernhard Markgraf von Baden: To experience the wonderful cultural landscapes in which our two wineries are located and where we cultivate vines: Schloss Salem on Lake Constance and Schloss Staufenberg in the Rhine Valley. Two tips: enjoy a glass of wine above the Basilica Birnau in the middle of our vineyards with a fantastic view of Lake Constance and the Alps, or sit down in the Rhine Valley, in the Ortenau, on the terrace of Staufenberg Castle and marvel at the Black Forest and Vosges panorama, which reaches as far as the Strasbourg cathedral.