Where the river Main flows into the Rhine is a part of the Rheingau region that is sometimes forgotten. Although already Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote about its fantastic wines. The clear hero of this region is winery Künstler in Hochheim. Five amazing, touching and inspiring stories about this great winemaker and its fantastic wines...

How intense can a visit at a winery actually be? We have seen some places and talked to some people about wine – but our visit in Hochheim at “Weingut Künstler” topped it all. All the unbelievable impressions are packaged into five little stories. Enjoy the read!

The first part about not giving up – never.

What do you know about the year 1648? The Thirty Year’s War ended in Europe. The Taj Mahal was finished in India. The first voyage through the Bering Strait between Asia and North America was recorded. And in north of Vienna in Austria family Künstler founded a winery. That is more than 360 years ago. But in 1945 – at the end of World War II the family was banished from Austria.

That was the time when Franz Künstler, father of today’s owner Gunther Künstler, came to the Rheingau region – with literally just a suitcase in his hands. He worked hard in some of the wineries of the region to finally continue the tradition of his family in Hochheim starting in 1965. With his hands and his talent he earned every Cent he invested. Never giving up – never.

The second part is about magic heritage

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a so-called “universal genius”. And he loved wine and good food. The famous saying, “No enjoyment can be transitory, the impression which it leaves is permanent” is kind of our life motto. He also mentioned the three regions of Hochheim, Johannisberg and Rüdesheim as the top league of winemaking in the Rheingau. And he was right. Hochheim was a legendary winemaking place – even back then.

And there is only one winery from the top league of German winemaking that produces in this area: winery Künstler. They manage to develop the wines from each single vineyard in their very specific style and character. A very special combination – magic heritage and an especially talented winemaker.

The third part is about a father and a son

The relationship between Gunther and Franz Künstler must have been special. When you listen to the beautiful stories from Gunther Künstler you can feel it. When the father – who was a quiet man, a listener, intelligent and hard-working – called Gunther in the evening after a trip to France to pick him up from the train station, and then presented multiple wines that he brought along which the two of them tasted and discussed all night until 4am in the morning. Beautiful stories.

But the passion for excellence is like the DNA in this relationship. And it’s driving Gunther Künstler every day. He expects perfection from his great team. And he is the role model for that. When we were driving through the multiple vineyards of this winery – Gunther was constantly picking leaves from the vines, making little adjustments left and right. He knows what he wants. A talent and a strength of will that was passed from the father to the son.

The fourth part is about listening to the vines

Terroir is a strange word – it stands for where a wine comes from, his origin, his specific character based on the vineyard, the soil, the microclimate, everything that defines the wine. Gunther Künstler can tell you everything about each and every vine in his vineyard. He knows the clone, when it was cut and how, how the specific soil influences the water conditions for the rootstock. All the details, all the history.

He was the first one to introduce ‘soft pruning’ into German winemaking. To protect the grapes from harm. He speaks about nine different types of clover in his vineyards. And about when they florish and how that effects the insects around and the nitrogen level in the ground. At the same time, he can talk about historical incidents, dates, famous kings and queens. He says he is simply good in remembering numbers. But that is not the full truth. He is a brilliant listener who truly learns from the past. And then make the best out of it.

The fifth part is about quality

When you read the first four parts you should have a rough idea what Künstler represents: A great tradition, a legendary terroir, strong family relations and a great team and all the passion to make the best out of what is given. The result is truly brilliant. We spend hours to taste through the full lineup of 2018 and also tasted some aged wines. The result is always the same: Outstanding quality.

Winery Künstler ownes vineyards from the very east to the west of the Rheingau region – parts of the famous Schlossberg and Rottland, the Hochheimer Hölle and Kirchenstück. Each of the wines are defined by the specific character of these vineyards. Gunther Künstler is not interested in distorting this character. He wants to present the best from the vines and put it into the bottle.

The name ‘Künstler’ is a German word that translates to ‘artist’. And is what this is all about: the art of producing fantastic wines.