REGION: FRANCONIA/FRANKEN; VILLAGE: KITZINGEN
Gut Wilhelmsberg, established in 1845, and formerly known as Weingut Wilhelm Meuschel jr. In 2019, the Meuschel family retired, sold the winery to another wine company, and Lukas Herrmann took over as head winemaker and manager. Weingut Wilhelm Meuschel jr. was considered one of the most traditional wine producers of Germany, especially for typical Franconian Silvaner. The winery dates back to 1845 when they were first wine merchants delivering wine along the River Main. They had exclusive rights to deliver wines to the King of Bavaria and expanded their business from merchants to makers. The winery was run by the Meuschel family for generations until the last two brothers retired in 2018.
Now, Gut Wilhelmsberg aims to keep this tradition alive and illustrate Germany’s wine history through exceptional winemaking. Their winemaking approach is more modern than it used to be, but the focus is still on the typical varieties grown in their region of Franconia.
Lukas completed his Master’s degree in Europe and then worked in New Zealand for a few years. In late 2018, he started working at Gut Wilhelmsberg and became their head winemaker and manager shortly thereafter. He has been able to bring his “new world” winemaking experience while still respecting and honoring “old world” style and techniques.
Gut Wilhelmsberg owns 14 acres of organically grown vineyards, including Kitzinger Wilhelmsberg, famously known for its Silvaner varietal. Silvaner is Lukas’ flagship wine varietal, known for its expressions of age rather than primary fruitiness, which most white wines focus on. This is a distinct style of the region and Lukas can showcase the value and character of the variety in this way.
Lukas is a friend of mine from school and we both attended Geisenheim University together. We lost touch over the years but reconnected through a common friend I met in California. It amazes me how small the wine world is!
On my last trip back to Germany, I had the privilege to taste the wines and was blown away by them. I am excited for you to get a taste too!
