Wine Academy
 

Wine Encyclopedia

 

back

Steinberg see Kloster Eberbach below

Kloster Eberbach [KLAWS-tuhr AY-buhr-bahkh]

Located in the village of Hattenheim in Germany’s Rheingau region, this renowned, ancient monastery is now the home of the German wine Academy. Kloster Eberbach was founded in the early 1100s and run by the Cistercian monks for nearly seven centuries. Just as they had at France’s Clos de Vougeot, this order established a splendid vineyard next to their monastery and built a stone wall around it. This 79-acre vineyard, which the monks named Steinberg, has become world-famous. Because it’s classified as an Ortsteil, the wines from this vineyard are not required to have the village name (Hattenheim) on the label—only “Steinberger” appears. The vineyard is planted with about 95 percent Riesling. The highly regarded wines it produces are full-bodied (see body), full-flavored, and rich. Kloster Eberbach and the Steinberg vineyard are now controlled by the staatsweingüter Eltville (see state domains).