C. von Schubert’s Maximin Grünhaus Castle Winery: A Moselle legend with a monastic heritage

The C. von Schubert’sche Schlosskellerei Maximin Grünhaus in the Ruwer Valley near Trier is one of the most venerable and renowned wineries in Germany. Its roots stretch back to Roman times, when viticulture was already practised on the slopes of the Moselle . The estate was first mentioned in a document on 6 February 966, when Emperor Otto I donated the property to the Benedictine monastery of St Maximin . For almost 1,000 years, Maximin Grünhaus served as a subsidiary abbey of this monastery, before it was auctioned off in 1811 as part of the secularisation process.

The estate’s modern era began in 1882, when it came into the possession of the von Schubert family. Today, the estate is run by Dr Carl von Schubert and his son Maximin von Schubert, representing the fifth and sixth generations. The family has a masterful understanding of how to combine centuries-old tradition with modern, precise viticultural methods.

The terroir of Maximin Grünhaus is exceptional. The vineyards stretch across 34 hectares on the steep south-facing slopes of the Ruwer Valley. The Devonian slate soil lends the wines their characteristic minerality and delicate structure. The three major single-vineyard sites – Abtsberg, Herrenberg and Bruderberg – differ significantly in terms of soil composition and aspect, thereby producing wines with a character all of their own.

Production is 90 per cent focused on the Riesling grape variety, supplemented by Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. Maximin Grünhaus’s wines are renowned worldwide for their depth, complexity and exceptional ageing potential. This was impressively demonstrated in 1923 when a fuder of the 1921 Herrenberg Trockenbeerenauslese was auctioned for the then unheard-of sum of 100,000 gold marks – a price that remains unmatched to this day. Since 2016, the winery has once again been a member of the prestigious Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP). The C. von Schubertsche Schlosskellerei Maximin Grünhaus thus embodies the very essence of top-class German viticulture: an impressive history, a unique terroir and a tireless commitment to the highest quality.