Schloss Proschwitz Prinz zur Lippe

History of the Proschwitz Castle Winery - Prinz zur Lippe

Wine has been grown on the Proschwitz slopes above the Elbe for more than 850 years. Until the Reformation, most of the fair wine for Saxony was even produced here. For a long time the vineyards of Schloss Proschwitz were owned by the zur Lippe family, but after the end of the war the lands in eastern Germany were expropriated without compensation and used as agricultural land. It was not until the late 1970s and early 1980s that vines were grown again.

In the spring of 1990, the reacquisition and privatization of the Schloss Proschwitz wine estate was finally completed. Thus, the heir and winemaker Prof. Dr. Georg Prinz zur Lippe also returned from Munich to Meissen. Since then, the vineyard areas have been continuously expanded. In the meantime, the vineyards of the Schloss Proschwitz winery extend about 5km along the Elbe. The Proschwitz vineyards were all once owned by the church. Currently, the Schloss Proschwitz w inery cultivates about 70 hectares of vineyards from the three former ecclesiastical vineyards of the Bishop of Meissen. 

The vineyards of Weingut Schloss Proschwitz

The vineyards are located in an idyllic setting above the Elbe River, with a view of the famous porcelain city of Meissen. The Schloss Proschwitz vineyard is the largest single vineyard in Saxony, along with the Kloster Heilig Kreuz vineyard. The soil is characterized by red granite rock and a broad layer of loess.

The vineyards are cultivated according to the guidelines of controlled environmentally friendly viticulture. Fertilizers and pesticides are used sparingly and are gentle on beneficial insects, the vineyards are planted with vegetation, and yields are deliberately reduced.

Pruning starts in December and continues until March. The aim is to reduce yields for wines that are particularly rich in extract. Only one fruiting and one bearing vine is pruned, to 6-8 eyes per square meter. The old wood is also cut out.

Thanks to the moisture-retaining loess, syenite and granite soils, the decreasing rainfall of recent years is not such a problem for the Schloss Proschwitz winery. However, the soil must be prepared accordingly so that it absorbs moisture well but does not simply evaporate again.

From the end of August - depending on the weather and grape ripeness - the grapes are harvested. The base wines for sparkling wine are harvested first - around two weeks before the actual harvest begins. This is followed by the early ripening varieties such as Goldriesling and Pinot noir precoce. The harvest continues for more than 8 weeks in some cases. The Prädikat wines are harvested by hand and selectively.

The vineyards of Weingut Schloss Proschwitz

The best sites are:

• Schloss Proschwitz
• Holy Cross Monastery Meissen

Cultivated grape varieties

• Müller-Thurgau
• Pinot Gris
• Pinot Blanc
• Pinot Noir
• Pinot noir precoce
• Traminer
• Pinot Noir