Indian Chief Travel Guides

Johannisberg

Close to Rüdesheim, in Geisenheim, is one of Germany’s best-known wine estates. Schloss Johannisberg’s winemaking tradition goes back to the 12th century, when Benedictine monks planted vines here on the south-facing slopes.

The estate was also the first to produce Eiswein (Ice Wine), where grapes are harvested after having frozen on the vine. The estate was given to Austrian Chancellor Fürst von Metternich for his services at the Congress of Vienna (1815). The Sekt produced here bears his name and his family still owns part of the estate. A vinothek on the estate allows sampling and purchasing. The Baroque palace, which was damaged during the war but rebuilt, is not open to the public but much of the grounds and the church are.