Philosophy of the Vineyard Site
In the classification of our 2002 wines we deliberately abstained from the use of the previously used terms of Spätlese and Auslese. We go along with the increasing discovery of the significance of the origin; vineyard site and soil of the vines - the terroirs (site).
The conversion is based upon the site classification initiated by Napoleon in 1802, where - with rare meticulousness - all vineyards in France and in 1868 all Prussian vineyards were classified.
Because of the meaning of the terroirs (site) of our terraced vineyards, which are ranked among the grade II of the group of outstanding vineyards, we emphasize these wines with the designation Apollo terraces. This selection is our Great Site. Winninger Uhlen and Winninger Röttgen are assigned to the top group of the grade I with approximately 1% of the today's cultivated area. Wines from these sites are our First Great Site. However, only if the grapes of these two categories are developed optimally, and the wines embody the individual character of the slate terraces, we will position these two premium wine segments following the roman classification as the Crus and/or premier Crus of our winery, and designate them simply as quality wine. We reserve the use of the descriptors Spätlese, Auslese (late vintage, selection) etc. for the fruity-mild or noble-sweetly wines.
