The history of the winery, headquartered in the city of Trier in the German Mosel wine-growing region, dates back to Roman times. The origins of the wine cellar lie in the partly preserved ancient Roman masonry, which was built around 330 AD. The figure of St James with his walking stick, featured on the label of the estate’s wines, refers to St James’ Hospital in Trier and the Way of St James. Later, the hospital offered refuge to the poor and infirm. The winery preserves the account book of the former St James’ Hospital, which contains the oldest documented evidence of Riesling cultivation on the Moselle, dating from 1464.
Establishment as a foundation
In the course of the secularisation under Napoleon (1769–1821), the United Hospices were founded as a foundation in Trier in 1805 and established on the site of the former Benedictine Abbey of St Irminen. To this day, the foundation’s mission to care for sick and disabled people is funded in the same way as at the Hospices de Beaune. In 2010, the German Wine Institute (DWI) recognised the wine cellar as one of the ‘Highlights of Wine Culture’.
Operation
The winery is owned by the Vereinigte Hospitien (a foundation under public law). Germany’s oldest wine cellar offers a wide range of guided tours, events and wine tastings. The estate is a founding member of the VDP and the Association of European Foundation Wineries. It is managed by Christof Fritzen (administration), Joachim Arns (managing director) and Klaus Schneider (cellar operations).
Vineyards & Grape Varieties
The vineyards cover 25 hectares of vineyard area in the single-vineyard sites of Altenberg (Kanzem), Augenscheiner (solely owned by the estate, Trier), Domherr, Goldtröpfchen, Schubertslay (Piesport), Hölle (solely owned), Braunfels, Kupp and Scharzhofberg (Wiltingen), as well as Schloss Saarfelser Schlossberg (Serrig), which is solely owned. 90 per cent of these are planted with Riesling, with the small remainder comprising Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc).
Cultivation
The environmentally friendly, organic and sustainable management of the vineyards and the entire production process is carried out in accordance with the certified guidelines of the FairChoice association. These include, amongst other things, cover crop and the exclusive use of natural fertilisers. Strict yield regulation is a key quality criterion. Through selective hand-harvesting, only physiologically ripe and healthy grapes are selected for processing.
Product range
The wines are produced in accordance with the VDP classification model across the VDP Estate Wine, VDP Local Wine and VDP Grand Cru ranges. The top-quality wines are vinified separately by vineyard site in a manner typical of their terroir. The premium wines are Grauer Burgunder Réserve, Schubertslay GG, Schloss Saarfels GG and Scharhofberger GG,
For over 30 years, estate sparkling wines have been produced using the Méthode classique. The premium product is Pinot Rosé ‘ Brut ’ nature, aged on the lees for more than 60 months. Various fine spirits (fruit brandy, yeast brandy, pomace brandy) are also produced in the estate’s own distillery.
