Schäfer-Fröhlich

Steep VDP sites, rustic vines, terroir-specific Riesling - sounds like the Schäfer-Fröhlich winery from Bockenau in the Nahe wine region.

The winery Schäfer-Fröhlich

 For 200 years, the vines have been thriving here under the care of the Schäfer-Fröhlich family on approximately 21 hectares of vineyard area, which is mainly dedicated to Riesling. These are 21 hectares of VDP Grosse Lagen - among other things the best the Nahe has to offer on steep slopes.

Great sites for noble Riesling

The vineyards of the Schäfer-Fröhlich Winery are divided into the sites

• Felseneck and Stromberg (Bockenau)
• Frühlingsplätzchen and Halenberg (Monzingen)
• as well as Felsenberg and Kupfergrube (Schlossböckelheim).

The slopes are 85% Riesling and the varieties Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Small quantities of Chardonnay and Muscatel round off the portfolio.

The soil is mainly characterised by volcanic weathering and slate, which together with the individual microclimates and orientations reveal different varieties of grape varieties. Thus, mineral and salty notes emerge at Stromberg, finesse-rich structure at Felseneck or darkly spicy wines at Halenberg. The specific characteristics of the terroir are clearly reflected in the wines of Schäfer-Fröhlich. And with the terroir wines you can taste and experience each individual site in a special way.

Viticulture and quality

The development of the grape varieties on the steep slopes, which often have a gradient of more than 70%, is a matter of nature's playfulness, with little influence. Pure varietal character is the goal, Schäfer-Fröhlich's own style only develops from the harvest onwards. When fully ripe, the Riesling is harvested very late and selectively by hand. After quick transport to the wine cellar and gentle pressing of the grapes, fermentation with pure yeast and spontaneous yeast in steel tanks takes place. After the wines of Schäfer-Fröhlich have reached maturity, the Bockenauer profile is in every bottle. Whether VDP Gutswein, VDP Terroirwein or VDP Grosses Gewächs - the wines develop magnificently on the fissured rocks. Because the more rocky the soil, the more mineral, fine and elegant the wine. And stony VDP sites have Schäfer-Fröhlich enough.

Top wines from Schäfer-Fröhlich

Since 2001 the winery has been a member of the VDP (Association of German Prädikat and Quality Wineries). The result of years of top quality. Honours such as "Winemaker of the Year 2010" by Gault Millau or the "1st place in Riesling Producer Award 2009" by Vinum also followed the passionate striving of the family winery from Bockenau. But what do such awards say? Pleasure is in the foreground, just like the specific local terroir and the elegant style in the wines of Tim and Nicole Schäfer-Fröhlich.