For Theresa Breuer, it is a privilege to be able to carry on her family's legacy. For wine lovers, it is pure enjoyment: with unwavering quality standards, the Georg Breuer family winery produces great Rieslings whose radiance is recognised far beyond the borders of the Rheingau.They have been ripening on the exposed slopes along the banks of the Rhine for hundreds of years: fine Riesling grapes, which carry the expressiveness of the heat-retaining sites of their once rather cool homeland. The aromatic finesse that they owe to their long ripening period forms the basis for the Georg Breuer winery's outstanding range of top wines.
After the sudden death of her father, Theresa Breuer, who was just 20 years old at the time, took over the 40-hectare vineyard in Rüdesheim with the aim of continuing to lead the family business, which had been passed down through the generations since the beginning of the last century, into the future. With the support of her long-standing operations manager Hermann Schmoranz and her cellar master Markus Lundén, the winemaker is following in the footsteps of her father Bernhard, who helped the winery achieve international renown in the 1980s. His formative sentence: "I want to produce wines that bear the mark of their origin on their face" still applies to the business today, and Theresa Breuer complements this maxim with her personal convictions. This is how the success story continues.
In addition to Nonnenberg in Rauenthal, Pfaffenwies in Lorch and Berg Rottland and Berg Roseneck in Rüdesheim, the winery also counts 3.6 hectares in the famous Berg Schlossberg among its top sites. The sparse clay soil with layers of Rhine slate and Taunus quartzite falls down the vertiginous steep slope to the banks of the Rhine and provides additional heat storage. The grapes from the vineyard produce finesse-rich, dry wines that often have delicate nutty tones alongside the typical peach fruit of the variety. "My father's decision in favour of great vineyards and the straightforward cultivation of radiant dry Rieslings was decisive for the success of our winery," explains Theresa Breuer. With respect for the potential she has been given and great stylistic sensitivity, she and her team follow the developments of nature, always endeavouring to understand its peculiarities and whims and to benefit from them in the best possible way. In order to protect her vineyards in the long term, she now also relies on near-natural and sustainable viticulture, dispenses with herbicides and pesticides, replaces chemical fertilisers with natural legumes (vegetable plants that enrich the soil) and thus gives her grapes more health and substance.
With the same care with which Theresa Breuer treats her vines, attention is paid to the ripeness of the grapes during the harvest and the grapes are selected. During vinification, special attention is paid to fruit flavours, balance and body. The top wines wines that result from this approach are characterised by their complexity and enormous ageing potential. A total of 85 per cent of the winery's vineyards are planted with Riesling. However, Theresa Breuer also dedicates herself to the cultivation of Pinot varieties and the historic Heunisch and Orleans grape varieties on smaller areas. Her work follows in the footsteps of her father's success and has earned her considerable praise from international wine critics. However, she ties her passion to modesty and emphasises that success is not hers alone: "I love being able to create a cultural asset with the help of many hands, which is able to celebrate special moments and make people happy." This is how true entrepreneurial spirit shines.
We cordially invite you to discover this great winery and the 2022 Rauenthal "Estate" Riesling at our German-language wein.plus:club online tasting 'Wines you must have drunk' in August 2023. Places available for wine professionals and private wine fans are very limited.
You can also order this wine via the online shops listed at wein.plus:find+buy.