We award the "Discovery of the Year" to wineries that were either previously unknown to us or have recently attracted our attention with the greatest leap in quality, and which we can only recommend to every wine lover who wants to get to know new, not yet universally known top winemakers.
Whether we can award a prize also depends on how representative the wine entries from the respective region turned out to be, but also on how complete the eligible wineries submitted and how good the overall level of the region in question is. So for some regions we may have no award winners at all, for others we may have either a collection or a discovery of the year.
It is always the finesse that distinguishes very good from first-class wines. In Dörte and Meike Näkel's Pinot Noirs, we discover, in addition to the usual power and substance here, subtleties that are not often found in the Ahr.
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Everything has changed here - and yet nothing. Julian Huber did not have much time to take on a legacy that had to seem almost larger than life: to be the guarantor of the best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in the country. It wasn't too big for him.
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A winery that every Burgundy lover should discover, even if he has to make a pilgrimage to the south-western corner of Germany to do so: Whether red or white, everything is right here from the base to the top. Oh, and don't forget the Chasselas!
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We have never experienced the wines of the Bürgerspital as independent, strong in character and rich in finesse. It took a decade, but now Robert Halle has done it: the winery is back at the absolute top of Franconia. One can assume that it will stay there.
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Up to now, the winery has always stood out, especially with its sweet wines. Since 2015, Stefan Bardorf has been converting to organic farming, and at the same time the quality of the dry wines is also rising rapidly. Randersacker is not exactly poor in good producers. Now it is even less poor.
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Top quality in a range rarely experienced. From the Saar to the Middle Mosel, from dry to noble sweet, whether basic or noble sweet rarity: Nik Weis has presented a flawless series this year.
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Hermann and Cornelius Dönnhoff are representatives of the rather quiet tones in the German wine world, and this is also expressed in their wines, which need time and attention if you want to experience what they contain. This combination of inner calm, depth and complexity is not found all that often worldwide. In 2017, Dönnhoff produced perhaps the most beautiful (there is no other way to put it) collection we have experienced here so far. One can't help but like the sweet ones. The Großer Gewächse series then leaves you speechless.
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Götz Blessing's wines are more of a rediscovery. Göttelmann is rarely mentioned when it comes to the Nahe. In view of his current collection, one wonders why. Here you can buy blind, especially since the level of prices hardly keeps up with the qualities.
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Under Ulrich Mell and Gunther Hauck, Bassermann-Jordan has long been a guarantor of top quality. In an area where there is no shortage of first-class wineries, the estate stands out above all for its stability. This is all the more astonishing given the enormous range of varieties and styles on offer here. But you can look in vain for stepchildren for a long time: everything is right here.
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For some time now, the wines of this still young, now completely organic winery have been attracting positive attention. 2017 is another significant leap for the Fußer brothers. The dry Rieslings, in particular, now have real class.
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Under Mark Barth, the 20-hectare estate has become one of the absolute top producers in the Rheingau. This is not only due to the dry Rieslings, which year after year have to be counted among the best in the entire region, but also the sparkling wines have real class.
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Klaus Peter Keller probably doesn't know where to put all his prizes anymore. It's his own fault, one can only say. Because there is simply no getting around him. Especially since even here an increase has become apparent in the last few years. It doesn't get any more uncompromising than this. Nor can it be better. Even the simplest basic wines are already exceptionally good here; with the great dry Rieslings, Keller is now pushing the limits of what seems possible.
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It is not only because of the consistently first-class dry Rieslings that this winery is worth discovering; Silvaner and Burgundy varieties are also convincing. And the Sauvignons, of course, the house speciality.
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Not long ago, Knauß was our discovery of the year. In the meantime, the estate has arrived at the top of Württemberg. Andreas Knauß not only produces some of the most elegant and finest red wines in the state, the whites are often excellent as well - and that across the grape varieties. And don't make the mistake of overlooking the excellent sparkling wines!
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The red wines have always been good here, but recently they have become even more refined and polished. The "Dieb" (formerly: "Wollendieb") has since become one of the best red wine cuvées in the country - not only in Ländle. Since the whites have also gained noticeably in recent years, it is high time to rediscover the winery!
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Uwe Schiefer is nothing less than the measure of all things when it comes to Blaufränkisch. The wines have elegance, finesse and depth that are not only remotely reminiscent of great Burgundies. One almost forgets with enthusiasm that excellent white wine is also produced here.
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It is not only the unconventional labels and bottles that stand out, the wines are also a real discovery: strong in character, complex and elegant at the same time. And this is true for both whites and reds, even at the base, where you often get an unbelievable amount of wine for the money. With their Blaufränkisch from single vineyards, Antonia Voit, Markus Bach and Matthias Krön are no longer far from the absolute top of the region. A winery that you should definitely keep an eye on.
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Alwin Jurtschitsch has completely changed the style of the house and today produces pretty much the most elegant wines of the whole area. We would have liked the wines before, only today we are thrilled by them!
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It is no problem to blindly recognise Urban T. Stagård's wines: they are among the most independent and characterful in Lower Austria.Especially the Rieslings can turn out stunning, but also Veltliner and Sauvignon have class.
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Christoph Neumeister's wines are never loud and obtrusive. Yet they are monuments to complexity, depth and expressiveness. While you are still thinking about the fact that his Sauvignons must be counted among the best in the world, it strikes you that this is hardly less true for Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, Traminer and Muscat.
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We were astonished when we tasted the wines of Christian and Thomas Polz for the first time after almost 10 years. Even the inexpensive basic wines are a joy, the site Sauvignons and Traminers have real class. A most enjoyable rediscovery!
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Like only a few wineries in the Wachau, the Domäne managed to channel the power of the 2017s into orderly channels. How they managed to preserve subtleties and even a certain coolness in the wines despite their often immense power is nothing less than a masterstroke.
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We are very happy that Clemens Strobl could bring himself to present his wines to us for the first time, despite his scepticism towards wine evaluations. The series of very distinctive, characterful 2017 Veltliners and Rieslings is flawless, simply stunning at the top. Actually a discovery and collection of the year at the same time!
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Johannes Zillinger is one of the innovators of the Weinviertel, perhaps even the most consistent of all. At the top, his wines - as idiosyncratic and demanding as they are - are among the best in all of Austria. The basic wines are clearly more accessible, but already possess a class that one has to search for a long time in their price category.
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The 2017 series presented by this centuries-old Viennese winery is small, but has a lot going for it. One wine here is better than the other. The Veltliner from the Nussberg parcel "Gollin" left us almost speechless.
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Like few other producers in South Tyrol, Elena Walch manages to add polish and finesse to even her most powerful top wines. One often underestimates the wines at first sip because they only reveal their true complexity and depth with time and air. The current collection maintains an enormously high level throughout. At the top, the '14 vintage is a "Kermesse" as we have perhaps never experienced it so well.
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For us, a real new discovery with equally first-class white and red wines. Riesling and Vernatsch even belong to the absolute top in South Tyrol and the noble sweet Gewürztraminer can also be stunning.
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At Querceto, in addition to first-class, tightly knit and tangy Chiantis, a whole series of "crus" classified as IGT are produced, which can be counted among the best in all of Tuscany.
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If you're interested in Bonarda, you can't get past Gaggiarone. It produces some of the most complex, characterful and evolving wines in the entire region.
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Mauro Veglio produces tightly woven, deep and often stunningly juicy Barolo of a rather modern style, whose polish and freshness make them irresistible when young, but which also age magnificently. But the same is true of Barbera and Dolcetto, which not only hold their freshness for many years, but often enough still benefit from ageing.
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Pertinace's Barbaresco has exactly this balance of power, depth, complexity and elegance that can only be created here. The 15-series is of impeccable quality - we have not yet tasted anything better from Pertinace.
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The Soave from Sandro di Bruno are always a bank: complex, full of character and often astonishingly ripe. Even the basic wines have amazing class.
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Anyone who turns up their nose at Lambrusco has not yet tasted the wonderful wines of Chiarli. This applies to the sweet varieties as well as to the - in part completely - dry ones. The top Sorbara "del Fondatore" is so stunningly good that you could also put it in a champagne tasting. You won't find more sparkling wine for so little money anywhere.
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The Domaine de Saumade combines power, depth and complexity with polish and finesse in its wines, the likes of which cannot be found anywhere else in Rasteau - or anywhere else on the southern Rhone except at the absolute top wineries. A modern classic.
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