VDP.ESTATE
SCHLOSS VOLLRADS

“UNIQUE AND AUTHENTIC RIESLING WINES THAT MAKE OUR CUSTOMERS AROUND THE WORLD HAPPY.”

WINERY MANAGER RALF BENGEL ABOUT THE WINES AND THE WINERY IN OESTRICH-WINKEL

Schloss Vollrads

Schloss Vollrads
65375 Oestrich-Winkel

Phone+49 (0)6723/660
Fax+49 (0)6723/6666
eMailinfo@schlossvollrads.com
Office Hours
Mo-Fr 9.00-17.00; Sa-So 12.00-17.00
Owner

Nassauische Sparkasse

Cellarmaster

Jochen Bug

Wine Area

63,40 acres

Grape Variety

100% Riesling

Geology

Lösslehm- und Taunusquarzit-Böden, süd- bis südwestliche Exposition

VDP: What is so special about your winery?

Ralf Bengel: As one of the oldest wineries in the world, Schloss Vollrads has a very, very long history of over 800 years of winemaking. The beautiful castle is ideally located in the middle of the Schloss Vollrads monopollage. Here you can enjoy and experience the lived symbiosis of tradition and modern winemaking, including its own restaurant and the possibility to hold events in the premises of the castle.

 

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

Ralf Bengel: Using the knowledge and tradition of over 800 years of viticulture to produce unique and authentic Riesling wines that make our customers happy worldwide.

VDP: For what wine style do you strive?

Ralf Bengel: We concentrate fully on Riesling. With us you can expect delicate, characteristic wines, which represent very pure and elegant facets of this grape variety.

 

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

Ralf Bengel: Our dry Riesling VDP.GUTSWEIN. This is the business card of our winery.

VDP: Of which wine are you particularly proud?

Ralf Bengel: To the development of our VDP.GROSSEN GEWÄCHSE®, (SCHLOSSBERG and GREIFFENBERG) which we have worked out in the last years as independent and characterful wines, and this is also recognized by wine lovers.

 

Schloss Vollrads
Riesling, trocken
VDP.GUTSWEIN

„OUR VDP.GROSSEN GEWÄCHSE® HAVE RETURNED TO THE BEST FROM RHEINGAU OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.”

VDP: Why did you become a vintner?

Ralf Bengel: Of course, the enthusiasm for wine is the motivation for the profession of winemaker. Until a wine is in the bottle, you have the opportunity as a winemaker to deal with so many different and complex tasks. In the vineyard, you can work very closely with nature. It is exciting to see how such a noble product grows up, which inspires people all over the world. In the cellar, you can process the grapes, accompany the maturing wine, and finally experience beautiful moments with a wide variety of people. The experiences of an entire year are captured in a bottle of wine, with all the memories, special features and characteristics.

 

VDP: Do you have role models?

Ralf Bengel: One should always strive to develop oneself further. There is no role model, but there are certainly good examples that you can incorporate into your actions. You meet many special and unique personalities who inspire and touch you.

VDP: What are your next goals?

Ralf Bengel: The current conversion and certification of our winery to organic management, as well as the modernization of our production and winery.

VDP: How do you combine tradition and innovation?

Ralf Bengel: Tradition is all around us at Schloss Vollrads every day. A tradition could only develop over the centuries through constant innovation. We live, work and manage in an important cultural monument. The academic side of Riesling cultivation has also occupied us for many decades - with one of the longest field trials in viticulture, which we are conducting with Geisenheim University in one of our vineyards. In addition, we have the world's only biodiversity vineyard, in which we reproduce all available Riesling clones on earth in one vineyard. This allows us to study the adaptation of the individual clones to the climatic conditions of the Rheingau in the long term.