The winery is located in the municipality of Oestrich-Winkel in the German wine-growing region of Rheingau. It is one of the oldest wine estates in Germany. The oldest wine invoice for Schloss Vollrads dates back to 1211, and viticulture in the Schloßberg vineyard was first documented in 1412. The castle was built by the family of the imperial barons of Greiffenclau at the beginning of the 14th century; the name "Vollrads" is probably derived from a personal name mentioned as early as 1268. The family tree of the Greiffenclau family can be traced back to the year 1097.
The Greiffenclau family
Georg Philipp von Greiffenclau had the manor house built in 1684 next to the residential tower (which J. W. von Goethe found "marvellous" during his visit in 1814). The von Greiffenclau family produced many important personalities, including archbishops and electors of Mainz and Trier and prince-bishops of Würzburg. Erwein Count Matuschka-Greiffenclau (1938-1997), the 27th scion of the family, was president of the Rheingau Winegrowers' Association from 1990 to 1997. With his death, the almost 800-year family tradition of viticulture at Schloss Vollrads came to an end. From 1979 to 1997, the neighbouring Fürst Löwenstein wine estate was run on a leasehold basis and is now managed independently again.
Estate restaurant - art, culture and wine
Today, Nassauische Sparkasse continues to run Schloss Vollrads and the vineyards as a historical entity. An estate restaurant is attached. Events are also organised on the themes of art, culture and wine. Ralf Bengel is the estate manager, Jochen Bug is the cellar master and Jochen Eberbach is responsible for external operations. In 2001, eight hectares of vineyards were acquired from the Brentano estate management, including neighbouring plots. At the same time, the rights to label the wine produced there as "Goethe wine" were also acquired.
Viticulture
The vineyards cover a total of around 63 hectares of vines, 48 of which are located at single vineyard Schloss Vollrads with the Schlossberg and Greiffenberg vineyards (all names may be mentioned on the label ), Hasensprung (ex Brentano), as well as other areas in individual vineyards in the municipalities of Winkel, Geisenheim and Hattenheim. Only the Riesling variety is cultivated. The south-facing Schloss Vollrads vineyard lies at an altitude of 70 to 158 metres above sea level with a slope of 5 to 30% on deep loess soils interspersed with gravel, clay and quartzite. One speciality is the "Clos du Jardin" section, which is surrounded by a wall. Here are individual vines planted by renowned retail and catering customers and importers. This project was launched in 2011 to mark the 800th anniversary of the vineyard.
Wines
From 2019, the conversion to certified organic (ecological) viticulture took place from 2022. The selective grape harvest is carried out in several stages over several weeks so that only physiologically ripe and healthy grapes are processed. Depending on the vintage, the product range comprises 10 to 15 different Riesling wines, which are marketed according to the four-tier VDP classification model. Depending on the wine type, the wines are fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks or in large wooden barrels. In years with suitable weather conditions, Trockenbeerenauslese and ice wines are also produced. The bottles are sealed exclusively with screw caps. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines and brandies(marc, brandy) are also produced. Many old vintages are stored in the treasure trove, the oldest being over 100 years old. The winery is a founding member of the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter).
