Eiswein - just in time for the turn of the year
We had almost given up our belief that we would still be able to harvest an Eiswein in 2008. At Christmas, we were far away from the required temperatures below freezing (we were waiting for the temperature of -9°C). At the end of December though, it became colder day by day, and today, it was at last cold enough. The thermometer reached -9.5°C, as the harvest crew moved out shortly before dawn.
It was incredible that the grapes remained healthy after such a long period of waiting. We obviously owe this to the weather that there haven't been any more really warm day since the beginning of November. The must tastes accordingly absolute pure and fruity. A very elegant eiswein is to be expected.
[12.30.08]

Best medium dry Riesling of the year
The presentation of Gault Millau 2009 brought us some good news again this year. Marked with 94 points, the 2007 Großes Gewächs from Halenberg came fourth in the category dry Riesling. The Halenberg -R- of the same vintage, which will be on sale so late as September 2009, could even beat the strong competitors from Saar and Mosel and earned the victory in the category medium dry Riesling.
The winery description says: "The qualities of the single vineyard wines by the quiet star in the Nahe region were never so close to each other. The Frühlingsplätzchen seems to be a light-hearted relative of the Halenberg which is richer in extract, yet it is the worthy equivalent of the famous vineyard in density and pressure. All the wines already provide enormous joy in spite of their youth, the collection of Werner Schönleber has no "small" wines, as all of them are true giants in each category."
[11.19.08]

Grape harvest successfully completed
On the 14th of October, we started the harvest with some hesitation. The Riesling grapes of basic qualities were the first, followed by the earlier maturing grapes such as Weißburgunder (pinot blanc) and Grauburgunder (pinot gris). We often waited counting on good weather, so that the higher quality grapes could gain some more by the sunshine. That was the right choice. The grapes picked later are in fact far more aromatic in many cases. Again this year, the grapes of the best quality were collected at the very end. The "Grosses Gewächs" from Frühlingsplätzchen and Halenberg are the climax of the vintage 2008. Fully ripe grapes shining in wonderful golden yellow were brought to the wine-press between the 3rd and 5th of November.
The only wish we have now is to have an early frost. A temperature of -10°C would be ideal for the harvest of our eiswein, for which we left a small area with healthy grapes on the Halenberg. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
[11.05.08]

Germany's top sommeliers love our Halenberg
Eight top sommeliers working in German stared restaurants have been asked by the business magazine €uro to list up their favourites among the current Großes-Gewächs-wines made of Riesling grapes.
In taste as well as cost performance, the Halenberg of Emrich-Schönleber was rated best. Also the Frühlingsplätzchen came in the "Top 25 German Riesling 2007" with its glorious 11th place.
[10.27.08]

Vintage descriptions online
We would like to put off the harvest a little longer in order to give the grapes the opportunity of enjoying some more of the sonny hours, which are seldom interrupted by short showers in our area at the moment.
It also gives us the time to improve the information service for our clients:
Our website offers now under [Estate] - [Vintages] some interesting information on the vintages of the last years. A useful help for restaurants, but also for those of you, who want to impress your friends with some background knowledge on sociable occasions. ;-)
[10.06.08]

Interim report from vineyard - Part II
Wow, this is fun! Last week's sunny days were good to our grapes. They were shining in golden yellow, as we walked through the vineyards yesterday. Truly gorgeous! Here und there, we find some botrytis (noble rot), which are the basis for fine noble sweet wines. The majority of the grapes are still in absolute health and already showing fantastic aroma. As long as the weather remains somewhat constant, we expect the harvest to begin around the 10th of October.
[09.29.08]

Successful VDP wine auction
Yesterday's wine auction of VDP Nahr-Ahr was a good success. 3,973 bottles of finest vintage came under the hammer at the total sum of 340,743 euros.
One of the highlights was without doubt our 2005 Halenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese -gold capsule-. No more than 36 bottles of this rarity were available, and in the end they were sold at 240 euros (excl. VAT) per bottle.
[09.29.08]

Interim report from vineyard
It is time again: Almost no day goes by without a customer enquiring what is to be expected of the vintage 2008.
Naturally, it is not possible to answer this question with final certainty. What we can tell now is that the vineyards are in a very good condition. They are in absolute health and the yield expectations are pretty close to the optimum values. As the result of rather cool summer last year, the vines have borne a relatively small number of grapes this year. Let us hope that rain does not distend them too much. We wish for some more sun in the next three weeks, no rain.
[08.19.08]

VDP-Nahe pioneer in vineyard classification
One of the topics intensively discussed during the last several years in the VDP is vineyard classification and finding a consensus for a nationwide standard in Germany.
Back in 1997, we made an important decision in the region of Nahe to use the vineyard names only for the very best vineyards limiting the allowed variety of grape to Riesling at the same time.
Now, we have made the next step. From now on, the dry single vineyard wines will no longer bear any Prädikat designation on the bottle label. Apart from the Großes Gewächs (= great growth, grand cru in French) wines, only one second dry wine is allowed from the same vineyard, provided that it also fulfils the requirements of the "Erste Lagen (= first vineyards)". We are doing this in order to make sure that the great growth wines remain truly great also in the future.
Another logical consequence of this for us is that all the single vineyard wines now have to fulfil at least our requirements for good Spätlese. The wines slightly below this level include the dry Riesling with strong mineral notes "Mineral", the half-dry "Lenz" and the fruity sweet Monzinger Riesling Kabinett.
It means that the Prädikat designations are now reserved for the classic sweet wines. Until in the '70s, it used to be the case as well!
[04.10.08]

Young wines and young vegetables
On the 30th of April 2008, the young talented wine makers from Nahe region will host a five course dinner with the slogan "Young wines and young vegetables" at the restaurant "Im Gütchen" in Bad Kreuznach.
Each of the 5 courses will be accompanied by two wines from the new vintage 2007 presented by two young wine makers. There will also be a 11th wine maker who will welcome you with a glass of Sekt.
A nice opportunity to enjoy a true feast and get to know all the young talented wine makers from Nahe personally. New members, Georg Rumpf (Kruger-Rumpf), Jakob Schneider and Michael Ebert (Edelberg), who joined us recently will also take part.
89,- € per person. For reservations Tel.: 0671-42626 (restaurant "Im Gütchen")
[04.03.08]

Wine Spectator: Top rankings for Emrich-Schönleber
The American magazine Wine Spectator has published its ratings for German Riesling wines of the vintage 2006. Among the top rated wines, the name Emrich-Schönleber turns up many times. With the score of 96 points, our 2006 Halenberg Riesling Beerenauslese is leading the list of the best wines. The wine is described as "... harmonious and multidimensional, with a concentration that defies its weightlessness. Has terrific length."
[03.27.2008]

Collection of the Year
The Internet wine portal Wein-Plus held the awarding ceremony of "Collection of the Year" on the occasion of the trade fair ProWein in Düsseldorf. The prize is awarded for each wine region separately.
In the region of Nahe, there was no getting around Emrich-Schönleber with regard to the vintage 2006 - according the opinion of Wein-Plus. This is the second time for us to win this prize since 2004!
[03.19.2008]