Summary
Behind Markgräflich Badisches Weinhaus stands one of Germany's most history-laden wine estates: Weingut Markgraf von Baden, with its two sites at Schloss Salem on Lake Constance and Schloss Staufenberg above Durbach in the Ortenau. The vineyards – around 135 hectares in total – trace back to the Cistercian monastery of Salem, founded in 1134 and growing wine only a few decades later. Since secularisation in 1802/1803 they have belonged to the House of Baden. That makes the estate one of the largest privately owned wineries in the country, and a VDP member since 2012. Markgräflich Badisches Weinhaus itself is the sales company set up in 2017, through which the House of Baden and Rotkäppchen-Mumm bring these wines to market together.
History
The origin lies in 1134, when the Cistercian monastery of Salem was founded. In the Middle Ages the Cistercians were the specialists of European viticulture, and only a few decades after the founding the Salem monks turned to wine. At their peak around 1500 the monastery held extensive vineyards on Lake Constance and in the hinterland and was one of the most important wine producers in the region.
In parallel, the House of Baden shaped Baden viticulture from the political side: Margrave Christoph I issued the first Baden wine law in 1494, and Grand Duke Carl Friedrich had Riesling planted at the Klingelberg near Durbach in 1782 – an experiment that succeeded so well that in many Baden villages Riesling is still called Klingelberger today.
With secularisation in 1802/1803, the great monastery complex of Salem, together with its farms and vineyards, passed to the House of Baden. Since then the family has farmed the sites on Lake Constance and in the Ortenau itself. Bernhard Prinz von Baden has been in charge since 1998. On 1 September 2017, the House of Baden joined forces with Rotkäppchen-Mumm to found Markgräflich Badisches Weinhaus, based in Salem – a 50:50 joint venture handling sales, brand management and national marketing of the Baden wines.
Location & Terroir
The estate's vineyards lie in two completely different parts of Baden – and that is exactly what makes them interesting.
Lake Constance: Schloss Salem
Around 110 hectares are spread across the Bodensee district and the Upper Rhine, with sites near Bermatingen, Birnau, Meersburg and Gailingen. The lake is decisive as a heat store: it softens late frosts, extends the autumn and reflects a great deal of light. The soils are largely shaped by the ice ages – morainic gravel, loam and marl. The result is cool, fresh white wines with clear fruit and good acid structure, plus finely drawn Spätburgunder. Schloss Salem is also home to one of the oldest wine cellars in Germany.
Ortenau: Schloss Staufenberg
Around 25 hectares surround Schloss Staufenberg, perched high above Durbach. Here granite and weathered soils dominate on steep slopes, and the climate is noticeably warmer than by the lake. This combination is the classic home of Ortenau Riesling – the Klingelberger – and at the same time yields denser, spicier Spätburgunder.
Style & Philosophy
The estate works on a scale that is unusual for a private winery, and deliberately serves several levels: from accessible, varietally true estate wines up to the single-vineyard peaks of the VDP classification. Roughly 54 percent of the vineyard area is planted with Pinot varieties – Spätburgunder, Weißburgunder and Grauburgunder – and around 21 percent with Müller-Thurgau; Riesling takes a smaller but qualitatively central share. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and regional varieties round out the range.
Stylistically the direction is towards dry, clearly and cleanly made wines. On Lake Constance freshness comes first, in the Ortenau structure and spice. The house also maintains a Baden speciality: Weißherbst, the pale rosé made from Spätburgunder. Added to that are sparkling wines, which benefit from the link with Rotkäppchen-Mumm.
Notable Vineyards & Wines
The estate farms several classified and historically significant sites:
- Schloss Staufenberg Klingelberg and Sophienberg in Durbach – VDP.Große Lage, home of the Klingelberger
- Bermatinger Leopoldsberg with the Buchberg parcel – VDP.Große Lage on Lake Constance
- Meersburger Chorherrnhalde – VDP.Große Lage above the lake
- Birnauer Kirchhalde – a white wine site within sight of the baroque church of Birnau
- Schloss Rheinburg near Gailingen on the Upper Rhine – a monopole site of the estate
The wines appear both under the name Weingut Markgraf von Baden and in the lines run by the Weinhaus, such as the Lake Constance edition 'Schloss Salem'.
Awards
The most important marker is VDP membership since 2012: it confirms both the quality of the sites and the way the estate works in vineyard and cellar. On top of that come regular medals at international tastings – among them gold awards at the Berliner Wein Trophy for sparkling wine and Müller-Thurgau. The presentation has been recognised too: the brand's repositioning earned the house several design awards. All told, the estate is today regarded as the most important ambassador for wine from Lake Constance and the Ortenau.