100 % Riesling

There are recorded documents linking the Leitz family winemaking history all the way back to 1744.

Johannes Leitz was born much later, in 1964 in Rüdesheim. His Grandfather, Josef Leitz re-built the winery, which has been completely destroyed after a bombing raid during the Second World War. His father, Antonius Leitz had briefly taken ownership of the winery before his premature death in 1966. This left his wife, with her flower shop, a household and of course the family winery to run. So, it wasn’t until 1985 when Johannes took over the winery that it once again became a primary focal point of attention.

After taking hold of the family business, he has managed to raise the estate from 2.9 hectares to the 140 hectares that we see today. Over the years, Johannes has gained national and international recognition for his outstanding wines. Internationally, his major markets include Norway, Sweden, the UK and USA.

The growth of the winery has had a positive influence over all the ranges of the wines produced. Specifically the Rüdesheim vineyards of Berg Schlossberg, Berg Rottland and Berg Kaisersteinfels have continued their tradition of being amongst the top dry wines from Germany. All of Johannes’ wines carry his individual signature and show off the varied greatness of the Rüdesheim terroir from which they are born.

With all the growth Johannes has achieved he subsequently produced the new label of Dragonstone and EINS-ZWEI-DRY. These two successfull labels have been recognized and won the “IF Communication Design Award 2009”. In 2011 he has been awarded as “winemaker of the year” by Gault Millau wine guide and in the following years Johannes has made it with his winery to become one of the most popular German wine growers.

These international successes have been a boon: however, Johannes has stayed true to his roots and homeland. He has been working closely with the Ministry of Environment to restore the traditional terraces above Rüdesheim in the Berg Rottland and Berg Kaisersteinfels vineyards and is very pleased to have his son Antonius joining the team as the next generation. A wonderful family story from Rheingau, to be continued…