The Von Othegraven winery is located in Kanzem, a small wine village on the lower Saar River. The winery is one of the oldest in the Saar region and was a founding member of the VDP Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. In recent years, hardly any other winery in Germany has received more media attention. Since Günther Jauch and his wife Thea took over the winery in 2010, the press has been overwhelmed with euphoric articles. Of course, critics were immediately on the scene, noting that the winery, like so many others with prominent backing, was merely a nice prestige object. But they were to be proven wrong. The calm and thoughtful showmaster didn't simply take over any winery on a whim. Together with his wife, he is following in the footsteps of his ancestors and is now continuing the Von Othegraven winery in the 7th generation! The 16.5 hectares of vineyards are spread across four VDP.GROSSE LAGEN – all 100% planted with Riesling. The Kanzemer Altenberg is the largest single vineyard of the winery. With around 7 hectares of land in the steepest plots (up to 85% incline), a large proportion of which are old, self-rooted vines, it is the largest owner in this prestigious steep vineyard. With row lengths of up to 250m, the Altenberg is the longest steep vineyard in Europe. With sometimes more than 250 vines per row, you can imagine that the harvest helpers don't see the light at the end of the tunnel for a long time when they start harvesting early in the morning at the foot of the mountain. The Kanzemer Altenberg is also characterized by its proximity to the Saar River and its reddish-shimmering, deep slate soil. A comparatively warm microclimate prevails here, and the high temperatures, as well as the red slate, lead to wines with exotic fruit aromas, subdued acidity, silky texture and often expressively spicy minerality. In addition to Altenberg, the winery also owns vineyards in Ockfener Bockstein, Wiltinger Kupp, and is the sole owner of the monopole vineyard Wawerner Herrenberg. The winery is highly praised in leading wine guides such as Gault & Millau, Eichelmann, and Vinum, and its wines regularly receive top marks. In particular, the impressive Kabinett collection from all four single vineyards of the winery reaches a level that is unparalleled!


"Günther Jauch - Apprentice at his own winery"

To all skeptics who think Günther Jauch only serves as a prominent advertising face for the winery and only occasionally shows up for press appearances, we can assure you: you are vastly mistaken! He and his wife commute between their home in Potsdam and the beautiful Kanzem all year round and actively participate in the winery. Out of 10 times we pick up our wine there, he and/or his wife Thea are definitely present in over half of the cases and personally load our wine into the car. Both are extremely kind and helpful people without any star airs! Günther Jauch himself describes himself as an "apprentice at his own winery" and, as someone without any wine training, is overjoyed to have taken over an excellent team of experts around estate director Andreas Barth from his predecessor, Dr. Heidi Kegel. He likes it in the tranquil provincial town of Kanzem, because he spent a lot of time on his uncle Max von Othegraven's winery during his childhood. From the beginning, contact and exchange with fellow winemakers were very important to the Jauch couple, and they have integrated themselves exemplarily into the circle of Saar-VDP winemakers. For example, they revived the annual young wine tasting among VDP colleagues, introduced by their predecessor Dr. Heidi Kegel, and contribute whenever possible to joint events, such as the Saar-Riesling-Sommer. Günther Jauch's first act at the new winery was the redesign of the labels. The traditional labels with the picture of the winery had to go. Today, a striking red "O" crowned by a "v" for von Othegraven adorns all the winery's labels. For this successful relaunch, the winery was awarded the coveted "Red Dot Design Award". Furthermore, Mr. Jauch invested in the estate building, additional commercial spaces and in the vineyards. For example, he had the historic manor house restored to its original state and expanded the winery with a wine shop and a function room for up to 60 people in the estate park. Today, both the winery and the breathtakingly beautiful English landscape garden with its ancient exotic trees at the foot of the Kanzemer Altenberg are protected as a historical monument. But it was a long and rocky road to get here:


"This is how Günther Jauch acquired his winery on the Saar"

Günther Jauch's great-uncle, Emmerich Grach, acquired the Othegraven winery in 1805 after purchasing the Hövel winery. He bequeathed it to his daughter Katharina Weißebach, who continued the estate under the name J. Weißebach Erben. However, she remained childless and thus inherited the winery to her nephew Maximilian von Othegraven and his siblings in 1922. In the mid-1950s, Maximilian von Othegraven acquired the shares of his sister, Maria von Othegraven, and her husband, Hans Jauch, Günther Jauch's grandfather. From then on, the winery bore the name Maximilian von Othegraven. After he also had no descendants, Dr. Heidi Kegel, an internist from Cologne and niece of Maria von Othegraven, inherited the winery. She was the one who restructured the winery for the future, created an innovative dry-tasting brand wine named "Maximus" after the winery founder Maximilian von Othegraven, and hired the experienced oenologist Andreas Barth as estate director and cellar master. The lawyer is considered an expert in the industry for winemaking with native yeasts and thus imprinted his unmistakable style on the Othegraven wines. When rumors of a sale of the winery increased in the late 2000s, a certain Günther Jauch in Potsdam became attentive. Many of his fondest childhood memories are associated with holiday visits to his uncle Maximilian von Othegraven. The idyllically situated winery at the foot of the Kanzemer Altenberg and the banks of the Saar Altarm, with its extensive estate park, never left the moderator's mind. Under no circumstances did he want to allow the traditional family winery to fall into the hands of outside investors. And so, after much deliberation, he and his wife decided to take over the winery. Thus, the winery remains in family ownership, even after more than 200 years, and is now run by a direct descendant of the founder Emmerich Grach, in the 7th generation.



"Sven Klinger - the Lord of Wild Yeasts"

In its vineyard operations, the Othegraven winery relies on natural farming practices, foregoing the use of herbicides and insecticides, as well as artificial fertilizers. However, the winery does not wish to subject itself to the constraints of organic certification, as it considers the use of fungicides necessary in difficult vintages with humid and warm weather.
The winery does not want to be open to the elements. Instead, the winery is a member of the FAIR'N GREEN association. This organization not only ensures sustainable, environmentally friendly management, but also incorporates other factors, such as fair treatment of its employees, in line with a holistic approach. In autumn, the grapes are selectively harvested by hand into small baskets and then macerated and pressed at the winery. As a founding member of the Association of German Natural Wine Auctioneers (VDNV), the idea of natural wine still plays a major role at the Othegraven winery. The experienced cellar master Sven Klinger allows all musts to ferment spontaneously, i.e., with naturally occurring yeasts, in stainless steel tanks or large wooden barrels. The winery was one of the pioneers of great, dry Saar wines and produced one of the first Große Gewächse (Great Wines) of the Saar from the Kanzemer Altenberg in the early 2000s. Today, the winery is primarily dedicated to Kabinett wines. Hardly any other winery dedicates itself to this unique wine style, so typical of the Saar, with such devotion and passion. During the winemaking process, the wines are given the time they need. Often, the wines ferment until the spring of the year following the harvest and may mature on the lees until bottling in May/June.



"Riesling wines with tremendous aging potential"

The result is a very expressive, unmistakable wine style that may not appeal to everyone immediately. The omnipresent smoky aromas of spontaneous fermentation, often reminiscent of gunpowder, which are so highly valued by lovers of the winery, are a hallmark. However, these aromas dissipate with maturation, and the remnants contribute to the complexity and tension of the wines. So, if you are tasting a young Von Othegraven wine for the first time, give it a large white or even red wine glass, allow it some time, and aerate it in the glass. You can also decant it, and you will be surprised by what a magnificent wine hides beneath the initially often rather absent bouquet. For example, the dry estate wine "MAX," successor to "Maximus," named after the winery founder Maximilian von Othegraven, is a true character wine with restrained fruit and pronounced roasted aromas. It captivates with its excellent structure and mild acidity, making it an excellent food companion. The Grand Cru wines of the house are truly magnificent food companions as well, best enjoyed from large Burgundy glasses so that they can fully develop. The Kabinett wines are immediately very drinkable and possess excellent aging potential.