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This allows the vine to develop high extracts in the grapes up to full maturity and lock in minerals. „Our goal for Silvaner is to taste the terroir and feel the hand of the winemaker,“ professes Bungert as he pours his „RS“ from the bottle with its distinctive black and yellow label. A very fruity-ripe wine, which has now made a name for itself as an ambassador of the classic grape variety. The scent of fresh meadow weeds rises from the glass, the sparkling appearan- ce gives the 15 „RS“ a slight hint despite its alcohol content of 12.8 per cent. With 6.3 grams of residual sugar and 5.4 grams of acid, it melts into harmony. The Bungerts received the Golden Chamber Prize for the quality test.
The 15 Silvaner from the Hockenmühle has a clear, full-bodied Silvaner structure and a light touch of yellow fruit. The harmony of the wine is probably due to the long storage of the ne yeast; „sur lie“ also applies in Rheinhessen.
For a winery with 22 acres and 54 different wines to be successful the winemaker needs the best equip- ment. And that‘s what we nd in the Bungert winery. Spick and span stainless steel tanks, an abundance of oak barrels in which not only the red wines get their nal polish, new, large wooden barrels are used for the white wines to develop to maturity, modern wine presses, their own lling system, a cellar and bottle storage all have their place.
„Our winery lives by the marketing of 80 per cent of private customers, the rest goes to the wine trade and upscale gastronomy,“ says Matthias Bungert giving us a look at his customers. Although the varieties of the operation considerably increase the working load, a prerequisite for the winery is to serve a wide palette of tastes for the customers. A look at the wine list makes it clear how broad their range is: Scheurebe, Riesling, Silvaner, Grauer Burgunder, Weißer Burgunder, Chardonnay, Ortega, Morio-Muskat, and Siegerrebeare on offer. The rosés and red wines include Spätburgunder, Portugieser, Dornfelder, Regent, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the sparkling wines include Riesling, Scheurebe, Silvaner, Spätburgunder Weißherbst, and a Cuvée.
Awards
The Bungert-Mauer winery is in the „Top 100“ of the best winegrowers as determined by DLG and is ranked 43rd. Awarded at the wine Landesprämierung 2016 as best Silvaner, Goldene Rebschere, Silvaner Forum, winemaker of the year at the DLG German wine awards 2014/15, numerous state awards and the Golden Chamber prize coins. Bungert also ma- kes red wines. The winery has won the German red wine prize several times for its excellent Regent (an interesting new red wine variety).
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