World-famous winery with headquarters in the castle of the same name on the famous Johannisberg in the Rheingau. Charlemagne (742-814) is said to have had a vineyard planted on Johannisberg for the first time. Between 1096 and 1100, Benedictine monks from Mainz built a monastery on the Bischofsberg plateau above the village of Johannisberg and also cultivated vines. This makes the estate one of the oldest wineries in Germany. The "St John the Baptist" basilica was consecrated in 1130 and gave the monastery and the community its name. In 1716, the Prince-Abbot of Fulda Konstantin von Buttlar (1679-1726) bought the remains from the Elector-Bishop of Mainz Lothar Franz von Schönborn (1655-1729) for 75,392 guilders (€ 1.85 million today), had the building demolished and had a three-winged, baroque palace built there as a summer residence. A huge, 250 metre long cellar was added to the old cellar in 1721.
Planting with Riesling
At that time, it was customary in the Rheingau to plant the vineyards with mixed vines, including the historic Elbling and Orléans varieties. In 1720, the prince abbot had the mixed vineyards on the southern slope of the Rhine ripped out and planted with Riesling. This contributed to the popularity and spread of the variety also known as "Johannisberg Riesling". Johannisberg cuttings were sought after on all continents, and many a vine in Australia, South Africa and the USA originated from here. During the Napoleonic Wars, the Rheingau was occupied by the French and the castle and vineyards were secularised in 1803. Emperor Napoleon (1769-1821) gave the estate to his marshal...
