The Saarstein Castle winery sits high above Serrig, a wine village on the upper Saar River. The lord of the castle is Christian Ebert, a passionate winemaker and hunter. His father, Dieter Ebert, a farmer from Brandenburg, bought the old hunting castle in 1956 after losing his property in the war. Built... Following the course of the Saar through the Saarland to Rhineland-Palatinate, at the height of the Serrig weir, you will find the first winery on the Saar: the Würzberg winery. It is located in Serrig, a wine village on the upper Saar River. The Heimes family currently cultivates around 17 hectares of vines in their two monopole vineyards, Serriger Herrenberg and Serriger Würzberg, and since 2019 also in the world-famous Ockfener Bockstein vineyard. The majority of the vineyard area (11 hectares) is classically Riesling, but the winery is a Burgundy specialist on the Saar and has cultivated 3 hectares of Pinot Blanc (Weißburgunder) since 1980. Furthermore, it was also the first winery on the Saar to cultivate the French grape variety Auxerrois (named after the French city of Auxerre in Burgundy) on 1.5 hectares. A small amount of Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) now rounds out the white grape variety spectrum of the estate. In addition, the Heimes family owns a 1-hectare plot of Pinot Noir (planted in 1986), which, at 35 years old, is one of the oldest on the Saar! They are located in a particularly steep and warm section of the Serriger Würzberg. The red, iron-rich slate soil warms up during the day and releases the heat to the grapes at night. This results in powerful and expressive white and red wines in this location above the Saar, characterized by their intensely spicy aroma. Hence the name "Würzberg". It begins at the height of the Saar at the railway tracks and then extends over 200 m upwards. This creates various microclimates within the vineyard, each ideally suited for the production of different wine types. The winery's other monopole vineyard, the Serriger Herrenberg, is located to the left of the Würzberg. This extremely steep south-southwest facing vineyard, with its skeletal-rich blue slate soils, differs significantly from the quartzite-rich red slate soil of the Würzberg. This results in slightly more elegant, finer-aroma Rieslings with pronounced minerality. Both vineyards are certified as VDP. GROSSE LAGE and some vines over 70 years old still stand in the plots. They can almost exclusively be cultivated by hand, as the steep vineyards are supported by slate walls, some up to 10 m high and over 2 km long in total. A slate staircase over 200 meters high also leads from the Saar up to the edge of the forest. The total of 32 hectares of land, including vineyards, meadows, forest, the estate park, as well as the winery with its cellar, wine shop and residential building, are now designated as the "Würzberg Monument Zone". The winery also has a spacious holiday apartment, from which you have a magnificent view of the estate park and the Kasteler Klause on the other side of the Saar. To understand how this work of art could come into being, it is worth taking a look at the eventful history of the winery:


"The first white and red Burgundies of the Saar"

In 1897, the widow of Eduard Puricelli, a Trier gas entrepreneur, bought the Serrig vineyard Wuertzberg, which until then had been completely overgrown with bushes and shrubs. Mrs. Puricelli had the slope cleared and planted the first vine on March 13, 1898. Many more were to follow. In the following years, the plots in Serrig Wuertzberg and Serrig Herrenberg were gradually planted with the best Riesling vines. In 1903, Mrs. Puricelli's daughter, Maria Puricelli, married Clemens Freiherr von Schorlemer zu Lieser, the Prussian Minister of State at the time. In 1898, he had a magnificent, chateau-like winery built in the Neo-Renaissance style on the first hilltop before Wuertzberg and Herrenberg. This manor house, now a listed building, with a two-story cellar, sits high above the Saar River with a stunning view of the Kasteler Klause. On April 5, 1905, the Prussian estate, founded under the name "Weingut Wuertzberg," with its chateau character, was ceremoniously inaugurated. With around 15 hectares of vineyards, it was then the second-largest winery in the village after the then-state domain Serrig and one of the largest in the region. The winery remained in the possession of the von Schorlemers until the end of the 1960s, before Bert Simon bought the winery and its land at auction and gave it the name "Weingut Herrenberg." He is considered the pioneer of Burgundy varieties on the Saar, as he recognized the special terroir of the two monopole vineyards Wuertzberg and Herrenberg and planted Pinot Blanc, and for the first time on the Saar, Pinot Noir vines in the warmest plots. Under his direction, the wines, especially the magnificent sweet wines, gained great renown. The winery was at one time a member of the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP) and was a supplier to the English royal house! In 2006, the owner changed again, and Dr. Jochen Siemens, former editor-in-chief of the Frankfurter Rundschau and the wine magazine "Alles über Wein", acquired the estate. He changed the name of the winery for the third time. For 10 years, the winery was known as Weingut Dr. Siemens. In 2016, the estate changed hands for the fourth and so far last time. Dorothee Heimes and her husband Ludger Neuwinger-Heimes, both raised in the Trier-Saarburg region, realized their dream of owning their own winery here and gave it back its original name "Weingut Württemberg". Both had a close relationship with viticulture on the Saar and Moselle through their parents, and they want to pass this on to their children. Their son, Felix Heimes, after studying viticulture and oenology at the renowned Geisenheim University, has been primarily responsible for the vineyards and cellar since 2018. The long-standing cellar master, Franz Lenz, supports him with advice and assistance, gradually introducing him to the secrets of Württemberg. Since summer 2020, the family winery has been completed by Annalena Heimes, who is responsible for marketing and sales and thus supports her brother in the office. Thanks to the commitment of the younger generation, the estate was one of the founding members of "SAARKIND" in 2017, an association of 10 talented young winemakers from the Saar.


"Unique basin-like location of the Serriger Saarschleife"

The unique bowl-shaped location of the two monopole vineyards Würzberg and Herrenberg on the outer side of the Serriger Saarbogen is unique. Here, the warm air cannot properly drain away, and so it becomes extremely hot in summer for Saar standards. Daring hang gliders take advantage of this thermic current and launch their flight into this beautiful cultural landscape from the launch ramp located above the vineyards. For the grapes, this special microclimate means that aroma maturation is favored and the grapes have a ripe, very balanced acidity. The old plots with high planting densities of 6,000 vines per hectare and more require a lot of manual labor throughout the year. In the vineyard, Felix Heimes works in an environmentally friendly way and fertilizes exclusively organically. However, the winery does not aim for organic certification, as they...
The winery wants to keep the option of using fungicides open in vintages with high disease pressure. Instead, the Würzberg winery is certified according to the FAIR'N GREEN guidelines. This sustainability association includes not only responsible handling of nature but also respectful treatment of employees and cultural assets. In autumn, the fully ripe grapes are selectively hand-picked in several passes and then checked again by experienced employees on sorting tables at the winery. Here, all unripe, rotten or damaged grapes are rigorously sorted out, so that only highly aromatic, healthy berries end up in the press. These are pressed whole for the base wines for sparkling wine, whereas the still wines are macerated for a longer or shorter period depending on the vintage. During this maceration time, grape-own enzymes can release flavor and aroma substances from the berry skins and thus bring them into solution in the must. The red wines are classically destemmed and then fermented openly on the lees. After separation of coarse turbidity particles, all musts are fermented spontaneously, i.e. with natural yeasts, in the two-story cellar. Depending on the type of wine, it is aged in stainless steel tanks, large wooden barrels or, as with Pinot Noir, in used barriques. After alcoholic fermentation, all Pinot Noir varieties also undergo biological acid reduction (BAR). In this process, naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria convert the somewhat tart-tasting malic acid into the softer lactic acid, giving the wines a pleasant creaminess. Afterwards, all wines rest on the fine yeast for a long time before bottling, giving them a fine, silky texture.


"Low-acid Saar wines"

The style of Würzberg wines can be described as aromatic and full-bodied. The wines usually have intense fruit aromas and, thanks to their excellent balance and fine minerality, are excellent food companions. The entry-level wine is the "Scivaro," a juicy, mineral Riesling for everyday enjoyment that promises great drinking pleasure. Scivaro is an Old German word meaning something like slate, alluding to the origin of the grapes. Burgundy varieties such as Weißburgunder, Auxerrois, and Grauburgunder are particularly suitable for wine lovers who have problems with the acidity of Riesling. These grape varieties have significantly less acidity than Riesling and are therefore ideally suited to various grilled dishes and, of course, fresh asparagus. The intensely spicy Würzberg Pinot Noir from Barrique conquers the hearts of all red wine lovers with its complex aroma and silky-soft tannins. The winery was established between 1904 and 1908 by a Trier industrialist who wanted to fulfill his dream of owning a winery. He was immediately successful, as the winery was already one of the most renowned wine producers in the region 100 years ago and was consequently a founding member of the Großer Ring in Trier, from which the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) Mosel-Saar-Ruwer later emerged. After studying viticulture at the renowned Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences, Christian Ebert took over the business from his father in 1995 and gradually began to discover the unique Saarstein terroir. The winery is located on the edge of the Saarburg Kammerforst, on the top of a south-southwest facing hill, the Serriger Schloss Saarsteiner VDP. Große Lage. The winery's own panoramic terrace high above the Saar and the vineyards offers a unique setting for lavish celebrations, as it boasts perhaps the most beautiful view of the Saar. From here, the lord of the castle, Christian Ebert, enjoys the view over his steep vineyards, which adjoin the castle directly, giving it a true "Château character". Schloss Saarstein owns a total of 11 hectares of vineyards, 95% of which are Riesling. The remaining 5% are distributed among Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Auxerrois. For Christian Ebert, the age of the vines plays a crucial role in the quality of the wine, as he is convinced that old vines, with their naturally loose-berried, highly aromatic grapes, produce the better wines. He practically knows all his vines by their first names, having cared for his Saarsteiner Riesling vines with dedication and passion since his earliest childhood. "Man shapes the mountain and the mountain shapes man – and I live in the middle of it!" is Christian Ebert's philosophy. And with success, because for over 25 years, Schloss Saarstein has been counted among the 100 best wineries in Germany by the business newspaper "Handelsblatt" and the specialist magazine "Vinum," alongside such renowned names as Egon Müller or Joh. Jos. Prüm.



"The advantage of large differences between day and night temperatures"

In the vineyard, Christian Ebert relies on viticulture that is as close to nature as possible, forgoing the use of insecticides and artificial fertilizers. However, he does not aim for organic certification, because there are always years, like 2016 or 2014, when the Commented [MK5]: Use a different picture from the photoshoot!
Fungal pressure is so high as a result of the humid and warm weather in summer that its use is essential. Otherwise, the Saarsteiner vines benefit from a unique microclimate with high day-night temperature differences. On the one hand, due to the good exposure and the reflection of the sun from the Saar River, we have high daytime temperatures, which are stored in the grey slate soils during the day. On the other hand, the adjacent forest and the Serriger Bachtal ensure that cool valley winds from the Saarburger Kammerforst and the nearby high forest significantly cool the grape zone at night. As a result of the intensive sunlight, we have good sugar and thus aroma formation in the grapes during the day, which can also be stored in the grapes due to the comparatively cool temperatures at night. In addition, the cold nights ensure the preservation of acidity, as this is mainly metabolized by the vine at warmer night temperatures. The result is grapes with pronounced citrus notes and a piquant, ripe acidity. These are selectively hand-picked in autumn and brought whole to the press, where they are pressed directly. The wine is made with native yeasts in the cool winery cellar in stainless steel tanks. The wines remain on the fine yeast for a long time before being bottled.



"Classic Saar Rieslings in the best sense!"

The Schloss Saarstein wines deserve the label: Classic Saar! They are brimming with elegance and captivate with their delicate fruit and distinctly smoky slate minerality. The piquant acidity ensures that the wines have an incredible drinkability. The Schloss Saarsteiner Kabinett, for example, is delicately dry, the ideal terrace wine for summer, as its low alcohol content and refreshing aroma are a true blessing during the tropical summer temperatures of recent years. Besides magnificent delicately dry wines, Saarstein also produces outstanding dry and noble-sweet Rieslings, all of which, thanks to their classic winemaking, possess immense aging potential!