Region: Rheingau

Unlike many of Germany’s renowned wineries, Weingut Eva Fricke is a young estate that was founded only in 2006. However, what makes things even more interesting is that its founder Eva Fricke was born to two doctors, not a winemaking family, and in Bremen, a place better known for beer and cars.

Her story begins when one fateful summer, Eva got bit by the wine bug while working at a winery in South Africa when she was 17-years-old. The memorable experience led her to the famous Geisenheim University, studying viticulture and oenology. During her time there, she had practical training in all different corners of the world. Upon graduating in 2001, she then set off to Australia to work at another winery. In 2002, she returned to Germany, taking on the assistant manager role at J.B. Becker in Rheingau before moving to the well-known Leitz estate as the vineyard and operations manager two years later.

At this time, she envisioned establishing her own estate. This dream became a reality in 2006 while still employed at Leitz—when Eva produced her first vintage in the town of Lorch in the northern part of Rheingau. Since then, Eva’s winery grew gradually to 17 hectares (42 acres) that she farms organically, and she also enjoys being the new star on the German wine scene, specializing in Riesling.

Today, Eva continues to anchor her portfolio around different Riesling expressions, while also growing Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc to produce her sparkling wines. Origin and minerality define her wines, which express purity and elegance. As a testament to Eva’s hard work and winemaking philosophy, she has garnered many high scores from famous international critics, including three perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and JamesSuckling.com.