Greenville County has a unique link to one of Germany’s finest traditional wineries. Stephanie van Rhyn, a resident of Greenville for fifteen years, imports her family wines from one of the Mosel River’s most prestigious growing regions. The family wine firm of Melsheimer has produced wines since the early 1800’s. With estate holdings at the town of Reil, the modern Melsheimer winery owns over thirty acres of Riesling vineyards. This impressive private holding occupies one of the formidable slate-filled slopes that make Germany’s finest wines. The precipitously steep vineyards make for especially difficult farming, but they yield wines of superior style and grace. The Rieslings of the Middle Mosel display uncommon fruit aroma and delicacy, combined with crisp green-apple tartness. The mineral rich soil contributes to the long finish common to virtually all of the world’s greatest white wines. Premium Riesling wines of the Mosel delight in their youth, but age magnificently. Fine old Mosel Riesling is an incredible blend of honey, ripe melon and mineral, coating the palate like no other wine.

Another specialty of the region is premium Sekt, the fine sparkling wine of Germany. Melsheimer is unusual in making great Sekt on a small scale, all in the traditional method of bottle fermentation and hand-riddling. The natural acidity of Riesling grapes makes for ideal “base wines” which give fetching light texture to the finished sparkling wines. Fine Mosel Sekt is among the most elegant and refreshing of aperitif or celebration wines.

Thorsten Melsheimer now presides over all aspects of winemaking at the estate. He is in the forefront of Germany’s “Ecovin” movement, an organized effort to foster and guarantee organic vineyard management. As a fully “organic” winery Melsheimer uses no artificial fertilizers and no chemical sprays. Further, Melsheimer uses reduced amounts of sulfur-dioxide at bottling. Combined with complete reliance on “Estate Grown” fruit and traditional fermentation techniques, the organic status of the winery makes Melsheimer a leader in Europe’s growing effort to naturalize and revitalize vineyards that have been in production for many centuries.

The importation of the wines to the U.S. is another extension of the small scale family approach. Stephanie van Rhyn has a strong link to the two hundred year old family enterprise. Her brother Eberhard succeeded Robert, their father, and managed the firm for over 25 years. Stephanie began direct importing the wines in 1997, to reintroduce fine quality Riesling wines to a market dominated by mass market branded wines. The wines are now distributed in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Connecticut. Although Melsheimer’s wines are all produced in small quantities, our market receives some of every release.

Melsheimer offers two value-priced selections in one liter bottles, both made entirely from estate grown Riesling. Labeled simply “Qualitatswein b.a.” one is marked “Melsheimer Riesling dry”, and the other “Melsheimer Riesling half-dry”. Each displays genuine Mosel character, yet sells for around $12/Liter.

There is an array of Qualitatswein mit Pradikat (wines with special distinction). These wines conform to the German system for naming top quality wine products. At this level the use of place names is very highly regulated. Furthermore, the use of sugar at any stage of winemaking is strictly forbidden. All of these wines are bottled in the traditional tall, slim, green bottles which signify the region of origin. The quality grades generally available are Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese. These represent increasing levels of natural sugar at harvest. Ranging from light bodied to rich and smooth, each grade is available at varying degrees of dryness. Even the sweeter versions retain crisp acidity and a clean finish. The “half-dry” and “dry” versions are admirable complements to fine dining. These wines range in price from $15 to $30/bottle. A tiny quantity of luscious, sweet “Eiswein” is also available from time to time.

At Melsheimer, even the design of the labels is a family affair. Thorsten’s sister Isabell, an accomplished artist, does the design work along with their mother, Regina. Another exciting family enterprise has been the restoration of two traditional Mosel homes, which serve as a Bed and Breakfast. Melsheimer affords an excellent opportunity to make a wine pilgrimage with fine hospitality and excellent wine tasting.

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