Outstanding Vinotheks Details

The thing with the titles needs a bit of explanation. The man's name is Frederik; that's how he likes to introduce himself, because the relaxed tone corresponds to the visitors he meets at his winery: young enough to still remember the student years, one or other festivals, maybe even one or other demos. In the meantime, however, he has come to a time in his life, reflected enough, to be able to distinguish quality from the rest. And sufficiently successful to be able to afford a lifestyle accordingly.

People recognise each other, they are on first-name terms without it feeling forced - although Frederik is a real aristocrat: Freiherr zu Knyphausen, but in everyday dealings he also calls himself Baron. That rolls off the tongue easier for internationals; the titles are identical in rank. Frederik Baron Knyphausen, owner of the eponymous winery in Eltville on the southern banks of the Rhine. Incidentally, those who know the place forget their French lessons and pronounce the "e" at the end of the place name - the lord of the manor has a lot of history under his belt.

The estate has existed since 1141, founded by Cistercian monks from the nearby Eberbach Monastery. The current manor on the estate was built in 1727 and has been owned by the zu Knyphausen family since 1818, who incidentally, came from East Frisia. Riesling from the Rheingau has always had a far-reaching appeal. Goethe was there, Clemens von Brentano, the Brothers Grimm, Thomas Mann. Today's landlord has returned from Hamburg to his ancestral estate after studying business administration, working in a private bank and later in a company responsible for acquisitions and takeovers.

And then, in 2015: Out of the blue suit and into the gumboots! The business was just waiting to be launched into a new era, to a more mature understanding of wine, nature and enjoyment. So much had changed since the father had the production building built diagonally opposite the manor house in order to convert the old farm entirely to viticulture. The Wiesbaden architects Florian Urbach and Alexander Falter helped to channel the flood of ideas for this transition.

Hotel, conference centre, music festival, a restaurant with ambition - above all, however, was the client's request to preserve the history of the place in a dignified manner. The hall was reimagined as a vinothek; large windows overlooking the park, discreet wood. Industrial lamps, as the young baron had seen them in Hamburg, a bit of big city flair. He himself calls the aesthetics "rough", which can also be translated as "cosy".

Enough of the vinous descriptors and elaborations! The wines for tasting are available in a self-service dispenser: throw five euros in and you can help yourself to ten sips. The Baron believes that the guest is mature enough to form their own opinion. Just imagine, he explains, you buy a pair of jeans and the salesman keeps chatting to you. You wouldn't like that either.