2025 Germany Pre-Auctions Report: Trier & Bad Kreuznach - Sleek, Svelte and Sensational

BY ANNE KREBIEHL MW | SEPTEMBER 18, 2025

Now for the second year on the November weekend preceding the Hospices de Beaune auction in Burgundy, the two marquee German auctions in Trier and Bad Kreuznach will take place on November 7 and 8, respectively. In Trier, Riesling lovers can look forward to Kabinetts, Spätlesen and a handful of Auslesen and dry wines from Mosel, Saar and Ruwer, many of them in double magnums and even Methuselahs. Bad Kreuznach offers thrilling dry Rieslings, Kabinetts, one Sekt and one stellar Eiswein from Nahe, Rheinhessen and Pfalz, supplemented by Pinot Noirs from Nahe and Ahr. Most of the wines are from the 2024 vintage, a year that presented winemakers with devastating frosts and much rain during the growing season. However, the vegetative period was longer than is now usual, and the Rieslings benefitted from extended aromatic development, making for outstanding—if taut—wines.

Trier Tradition and Bad Kreuznach Freedom

On the last Friday in June, members of the Grosser Ring, i.e., the VDP estates in Mosel, Saar and Ruwer, gathered for their so-called Taxprobe. This tasting is attended by the commissionaires who, together with the winemakers, determine the starting prices of each lot at the auctions. Some estates auction the same wines every year, for example, a Kabinett or Auslese from the same parcel, while others auction different lots each year. Some estates bring several samples and decide later which lot they will put up for auction. It is only the commissionaires who can bid at auction, but they take commissions from wine merchants and wine lovers around the globe. No such Taxprobe exists for the Bad Kreuznach auction. Instead, though the commissionaires are offered the opportunity to taste the wines before the auction, the estates themselves determine the starting prices.

Just one loop of the Mosel, seen here from the heights of Leiwen.

Notable Lots

Notable in Trier this year is a significant presence of large format bottles. All the Prädikatsweine are available in magnum, with seven wines also available in double magnum (3 liters) and nine in Methuselah (6 liters). Last year, there were only two Methuselahs—one from Van Volxem, one from Maximin Grünhaus. Only two lots offer half-bottle formats. Also notable is the return of Egon Müller’s wines. After the devastating frost in 2024, Müller decided to hold back the 2023 auction wines for auction this year. He will present the Scharzhofberger Alte Reben Kabinett #4, the Scharzhofberger Spätlese #12 and the Scharzhofberger Auslese Goldkapsel #9, all from the 2023 vintage. The auction lots from the Le Gallais estate, run by Egon Müller, are also from the 2023 vintage, as is the dry Grosses Gewächs from Josef Milz (who are also putting up a mature Grosses Gewächs from 2009 and another from 2024).

The most notable lot in Bad Kreuznach is the 2021 Eiswein from Dönnhoff, harvested in the small hours of Wednesday, December 22, 2021, in the monopole site of the Oberhäuser Brücke. The wine is thus called “Mittwoch,” i.e., Wednesday. Since much of the 2024 harvest was frosted, the Dönnhoffs decided to pull this ace out of their sleeves for the auction. It is in Bad Kreuznach that dry Grosses Gewächse dominate. Star names such as Wittmann, Keller and Schäfer-Fröhlich will all present thrilling Rieslings that are exclusive to this auction. These are joined by one long-aged Rieslingsekt from 2017 and two Pinot Noirs from 2020 and 2021.

Moselfuder barrels in Egon Müller's cellar, where nothing is high-tech.

There is a reason for the relative profusion of Methuselahs this year: In an auction of exclusive lots of finite wines, a Methuselah is the ultimate lot, insofar that each Methuselah is a one-off. This makes bidding more dynamic and creates added excitement.

I tasted the Trier auction wines at the _Taxprobe_ in Trier in late June, and the Bad Kreuznach auction wines during estate visits in Rheinhessen and Nahe in summer 2025.

I was not able to taste the following wines, so tasting notes for these three lots are missing:

·       2023 Keller Riesling Piesporter Schubertslay Alte Reben Spätlese

·       2018 Keller Riesling Piesporter Schubertslay Alte Reben Kabinett

·       2023 Kreuzberg Spätburgunder Devonschiefer R

The Pündericher Marienburg as seen from across the Mosel.

Charity Lots

Both auctions always include charity lots. The Charity Box in Bad Kreuznach this year is a selection of 13 bottles from the 2014 vintage made by illustrious estates in Nahe, Rheinhessen and Ahr—a beautiful rarity that will make for a most interesting and eye-opening tasting experience for the winning bidder. Another unique treat at the Nahe auction is the possibility to bid for eight tickets to an exclusive party in the glorious location of Gut Hermannsberg to take place in summer 2026, with wines from all the auction estates.

Trier’s Benefiz-Weinkiste (Charity Box) contains 13 bottles from this year’s auction lots, including the 2024 Spätlesen from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr (Joh. Jos. Prüm), the Juffer Sonnenuhr (Fritz Haag), the Berncasteler Doctor (Schloss Lieser) and the Graacher Himmelreich (Willi Schaefer), as well as the 2023 Spätlesen from Egon Müller’s Scharzhofberg.

The 2024 Vintage

Two thousand twenty-four is quite a singular vintage in Germany. An early budburst made the vines vulnerable to spring frost, and two cold nights in late April 2025 caused devastating losses in Saar, Ruwer and Nahe. Where frost did not hit, fruit benefitted from an extended growing season with sufficient rain, no heat spikes and very few hot nights. For once, aromatic ripeness did not lag behind sugar ripeness; it was, in fact, the other way around. The resulting wines have moderate alcohols, elevated but exquisitely buffered acids that seemingly swallow up residual sweetness, and wonderful aromatic expression. Where 2023 was exuberant, 2024 is more restrained. Where 2023 was juicy, 2024 is sleek. The 2024s will be long-lived, boasting beautiful extract and superb freshness. The 2024 vintage is not a year of high Prädikate, but one that brought forth exquisite Kabinetts and Spätlesen that will stand out for their elegance and fine-boned nature for years to come.

This view of the Graacher Domprobst site, with vines rising just behind the village of Graach, shows the steepness of the Mosel Valley.

Where & When

A tasting of the wines precedes both auctions. The Trier tasting and auction are by invitation only, as this is now an oversubscribed event. The auction itself begins at 1pm on Friday, November 7, 2025 in the Park Plaza Hotel in Trier and will be conducted in English. The Bad Kreuznach wines can be tasted from 9-11am on the day of the auction. The auction will commence at 1pm on Saturday, November 8, 2025 in the Museum der Römerhalle in Bad Kreuznach and will be held in German with an English translation. Visitors must register beforehand. Both auctions will be live-streamed by the local VDP chapters. Anyone can bid via wine merchants specialized in German wines who place their bids to order via the commissionaires. Bidders can state their requested number of bottles and their maximum price—even single bottles can be purchased. The wines sold at either auction are exclusive lots that are not marketed anywhere else.

© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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