Hochheim VDP family estate working the village's Domdechaney, Kirchenstueck and Stein sites, with classical dry Rieslings of warmer Main-side weight.
Tip: The Domdechaney and Kirchenstueck GGs are the headline; taste them together to read the warmer Hochheim character against the cooler Rheinside sites.
Address: Rathausstrasse 30, 65239 Hochheim am Main, Germany, Rheingau
Oestrich-Winkel VDP family estate working the Doosberg, Lenchen and Klosterberg, certified organic and quietly modernised by Joachim Eser.
Tip: Eser sits at the affordable end of the certified-organic Rheingau range; pair an Oestricher Doosberg Riesling visit with neighbour Peter Jakob Kuhn for context.
Hallgarten VDP estate certified-organic, working the cooler-altitude Hendelberg, Jungfer and Schoenhell for sharply savoury dry Riesling.
Tip: Drive up to Hallgarten on the way back from Oestrich-Winkel; Prinz's Hendelberg dry Rieslings show the cooler hill-village style at affordable prices.
Hattenheim VDP estate combining Marcobrunn and Wisselbrunnen dry Riesling with a contemporary art cellar inside the working winery.
Tip: Book a Kunstkeller tour to combine a tasting of the Marcobrunn and Wisselbrunnen GGs with the contemporary art installations under the cellar.
Assmannshausen VDP estate specialising in dry Spaetburgunder from the red-slate Hoellenberg, with polished, age-worthy Pinot Noir alongside Ruedesheim Riesling.
Tip: The Assmannshaeuser Hoellenberg Spaetburgunder is the wine to find; book at the estate vinothek directly to taste the dry Pinot range in context.
Johannisberg estate focused on dry Spaetburgunder and Chardonnay from Lorch and Assmannshausen sites, a rare Rheingau Pinot-and-Chardonnay specialist.
Tip: Chat Sauvage's Lorcher Schlossberg Spaetburgunder is the cellar pick; the Chardonnay is a rare Rheingau take on the variety.
Eltville-based estate founded in 2006, working certified-organic, steep-slate Riesling from the Lorcher Krone and Schlossberg at the western end of the Rheingau.
Tip: The Lorcher Krone and Schlossberg trocken Rieslings show Fricke's slatey western-Rheingau style; allocations are small, so order at release.
