Landmarks of Wine Culture by Wines of Germany
Landmarks of Wine Culture is a free photo exhibit presented by Wines of Germany until November 2nd at Hotel Gault in Montreal Old Port. The exposition is a gift to Montreal and Canada, for the 375th anniversary of the city and 150th anniversary of confederation. It presents 13 images of wine culture representing each of Germany’s 13 wine regions.
By visiting the exhibition you could win a trip for 2 to your favorite landmark in Germany! How to enter? Share a photo of you posing in front of your favorite picture of the exhibition on “Cartes Postales: la culture du vin” Facebook page using the hashtag #cultureduvinallemand and follow the page. Winner will be selected on November 7th, by then let us introduce three of our favorite photos from the exhibit.
Founded in 1137, the Augustinian cloister of Marienthal was the first in the Ahr Valley. We were surprised to learn that the nouns, devoted to a life of piety, worked hard on the surrounding plots of land and planted vines on the steep slopes of the Hubach Valley.
Today, only the picturesque walls of the cloister church remain and the Estate Weingut Kloster Marienthal founded in 2004 provides an atmospheric backdrop for concerts, festivals, tastings, and other events.
If you have the chance to visit the tiny region Hessische Bergstrasse and walk along the experiential path running through the hillside vineyards of Heppenheim, you will find a monument representing a grape titled “The Genesis of King Riesling”. Artist Adolf Mayer from Tramin seeks to remind visitors that the king of German grapes actually derives from another, older grape: the Red Riesling.
Largely cultivated in medieval times, Red Riesling was restored by researchers at the University of Geisenheim. In 1996 the first “pilot vines” were planted in Heppenheim, now the world’s largest source of Red Riesling vines.
Inaugurated in 2007, the seven kilometers “Wein und Stein” experiential path features 70 stations teaching visitors about the cultural history of wine. This is a great activity to explore the region!
“Vision Requires Space” proclaimed the 90 winemakers families of Franken’s oldest cooperative. As a collective, the Sommerach winemakers believe in combining respect for tradition with an innovative spirit. This philosophical blend is not limited to the wines they produce year in and year out, it is reflected in the redesign of their meeting house as well.
The tasting room on the ground floor is young, modern and hip. The ‘Kostbar’ and its staff serve up Franken classics alongside more international varieties.
To discover a selection of German wines available at SAQ, reserve your seat on Eventbrite to attend the next wine tasting socials from 5-7 pm on October 26th. It’s a great occasion to visit the exhibit and taste wines from featured regions. If you have a preference for dryer white wine, we suggest you to try Weingut Leitz Eins Zwei Dry Riesling. This cuvée comes from a blend of different Rheingau parcels. Enjoy your visit!
Hotel Gault
449 Sainte-Helene, Montreal
