Winkel
In Winkel, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is pretty well known. This is due to the fact that during his travels along the Rhine the poet frequently stayed at the Brentanohaus and was a friend of the family von Arnim. The Rhine Romanticism of that time is still present today when the lady of the house, Angela Baronin von Brentano, tells exciting and complex stories of her familys history while guiding visitors through the historic rooms.
Long before the Rhine Romanticism emerged, Winkel had already written history. One of the oldest stone houses of Germany is located not far from the Rhine. The so-called Grey House (Graue Haus), whose history dates back to the 11th century was the ancestral seat of the noble lineage Greiffenclau. The family whose members include chapters, sovereigns elect, generals, arch bishops, prince bishops but also simple monks and nuns, moved outside the towns gates in the middle of the 14th century.
Embedded in the soft landscape of hills, the magnificent palace Vollrads Palace is situated amidst the vineyards. For hikers approaching the palace via the long upward avenue extending from Winkel towards the north, the palace appears only gradually. From far away only the top of the residential tower is visible, like a sign, a careful glimpse from a long history full of vicissitudes. Vollrads Palace is a unique monument of a familys history that has been closely connected to viticulture in the Rheingau for more than 800 years and has rendered outstanding services to the quality and the international recognition of the Riesling wines from the Rheingau. Today, the palace houses a restaurant and a wine store, in the former carriage drivers house where the full-flavoured elegant Riesling wines from the monopoly vineyard site Schlossberg can be tasted.
The wine growers from Winkel can also revert to well-known vineyard sites: Dachsberg, Hasensprung, Gutenberg and Jesuitengarten are among the best vineyard sites in the middle Rheingau.