OUR WINES

The grapes for all our white wines and rosé wines as well as our red wines, sparkling wines and sweet wines come exclusively from VDP-classified Ersten Lagen (Premier Crus) and Grossen Lagen (Grands Crus) in the Rheingau. These classified sites are characterised by two essential characteristics: On the one hand there are optimal growing conditions and on the other hand only the highest quality wines have been produced over a long period of time. 

With the Lorchhäuser Seligmacher we are the only winery in the Rheingau that manages this VDP.GROSSE LAGE® and also produces a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® (Grands Crus) from this vineyard site. The FAZ awarded this special Rheingau wine  the "Best White Wine in Germany, 2016 GG".

With our Assmanshäuser Höllenberg GG and our Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg GG we also have two other VDP.GROSSE GEWÄCHSE®, which come from the best Pinot Noir vineyard sites in the Rheingau.

However, it is also due to our high quality standards that we only produce a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHSE® from a VDP.GROSSE LAGE® when the year produces truly great qualities. For this reason, a Grosse Lage does not always have to produce a Grosses Gewächs.

For example, we do not use our VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen to produce a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHSE®, but deliberately use the grapes partly for our basic Riesling "The Daily August". This is primarily due to our philosophy of producing only premium wines - and that already in the price entrance.

What applies to our Grosse Gewächse (GG) also applies to our wines from our Erste Lage vineyards. We do not always decide to bottle an Erste Lage vineyard site as a pure VDP.ERSTE LAGE® wine. For the most part, our wines are blends from different vineyard sites. Each site is vinified separately in the wine cellar and then blended to a multi-layered and harmonious wine - according to our own individual taste. Our Pinot Noirs are therefore almost exclusively blends from the best VDP.ERSTEN LAGEN® and VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN®, which therefore we are "only" allowed to market as VDP.GUTSWEIN.

It is also due to the idea of sustainable wines that both our Rieslings and our Pinot Noirs always carry some sugar, a sweet core, because this benefits their longevity and their maturing potential. We are not going along with the current fashion of keeping everything extremely dry, knowing very well that this polarises us and that our wines cannot be everybody's darlings in their youth - and we don't want that either.

Great wines prove themselves in their maturity. And that is what the name "August Kesseler" will continue to stand for in the future: For wines whose talents are clearly recognisable in their earliest youth, but which develop to their full potential over the years. Real wine personalities who tell great stories at the height of their long lives. You can find an overview of our wines as well as individual descriptions in our online shop.

VDP.GROSSE LAGE® Classified vineyards and specified grape varieties. Strict quality criteria such as low yields and selective hand-picking. Complex wines with expressive vineyard character and high maturity potential from the best German vineyard sites.
"Dry" wines are called VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHSE®, where wines with fruit and noble sweetness are called "Kabinett", "Spätlese", "Auslese", "Beerenauslese", "Trockenbeerenauslese" and "Eiswein".

VDP.ORTSWEIN: Wines from vineyard sites in one village. Traditional grape varieties typical for the region and limited harvest quantities are the essential characteristics. Dry wines are labelled as "quality wine dry" without specifying a predicate grade. Fruit and noble sweet wines, on the other hand, are designated with the classic predicates "Cabinet", "Late harvest", "Auslese", "Beerenauslese", "Trockenbeerenauslese" and "Ice wine".

VDP.ERSTE LAGE® Classified sites and specified grape varieties. Strict quality criteria such as low yields and selective hand-picking. Dry wines are labelled as "quality wine dry" and have no predicate grade.
Fruity and noble sweet wines are designated with the classical predicates "Kabinett", "Spätlese", "Auslese", "Beerenauslese", "Trockenbeerenauslese" and "Eiswein". Semi-dry and fine tart wines do not receive any additional designation.

VDP GUTSWEIN: Wines that come from the estate's own vineyards and meet the strict VDP quality standards. The "Cabinet" and "Late harvest" labels can be used for dry, residual and fruit-sweet wines, but from the "Auslese" label onwards, the "Prädikatsstufen" are only permitted for noble-sweet wines.