Wines for emperors and kings - 375 years Winery Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch

Hardly any other parcel name defines a winery as much as the prestigious 375th anniversary of the "Berncasteler Doctor". It was back in the early 1900s that the family purchased enormous parcels of land for this vineyard. In 1882, the great-grandfather of today's winery owner, the Prussian senator Dr. Hugo Thanisch, bought another parcel of the "Berncasteler Doctor" vineyard of almost 6000 square meters for more than 17 Gold Marks per "vine". Today this amount is equal to more than one million EURO. Not only was the Berncasteler Doctor Riesling a cult, it was also a very smart financial investment. These legendary wines were very popular among German emperors and British government. King Edward VII, successor of Queen Victoria, drank this "Doctor" because his doctor had recommended it for medical purposes.

It is very difficult trying to define a winery's reputation by its auction sale results. Winery Dr. Hugo Thanisch recorded a total of 159 cart loads of wines that were produced between 1893 and 1908 with an average sale price of 4.275 per cart load (roughly 1000 liters), which is the highest result among all wineries in the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer area.

The traditional winery's collection of rare wines includes the first Trockenbeeren selection from 1921. One of these bottles was sold for the record amount of 11.100 Deutsche Mark (5.675 Euro) in 1986. The exceptional vintage of 1959 made history again with its "Berncasteler Doctor Trockenbeeren selection of 312° Oechsle, which was the highest measured must weight back then.

Former Prime Minister Dr. Adenauer used to give out Berncasteler Doctor wine at all his state visits. For example in 1953 when he met with President Eisenhower in Washington, D.C. Then, later, he also gave him a bottle of Thanisch wine. In 1955, Adenauer travelled to Moscow to meet with Prime Minister Nikolai Bulganin and General Secretary of the KPDSU, Nikita Chrustschow. The Minister was concerned about freeing the last 15,000 German war prisoners. When it was time for the conference that decided everything, a 1950 Berncasteler Doctor late vintage was served.

The most famous vineyard in Germany is the Berncasteler Doctor. The family Thanisch acquired large parts of it at the early 19th Century. The vineyard provides with its south / southwest facing slope and the ideal conditions for a full day of sunlight. In winter, the Doctor vineyard is the first free of snow (photo: Thanisch)

A legendary reputation has the 1921 Berncasteler Doctor of "Trockenbeerenauslese" (TBA) from the house Thanisch. It was the first TBA (late harvest grapes that are affected by botrytis cinerea) ever grown in the Mosel. At an auction of VDP in 1986 scored a bottle of this wine a sensational price of 11,100, 00 DM (Photo: Thanisch)

The women's winery: Women have always played a substantial role in the Wwe. Winery. Sofia Thanisch has been in charge of management since 1996 and she pays particularly close attention to the care and maintenance of her vineyards within the high-class terroirs of the Middle Moselle area. It certainly looks like the future will be determined by the 12th generation with daughters Juliane and Christina in charge. (red.yoopress)