FOOD NEWS
The World's Oldest Operating Winery Dates Back 1,000 Years
BY LISA CURRAN MATTE
Producing wine for almost 12 centuries, Staffelter Hof is the world’s oldest winery, established in 862 by Benedictine monks at Stavelot Abbey.
The winery was established in the 9th century after a Roman emperor gifted the monks land on the Mosel River, which they turned into a vineyard and began making wine.
For most of its operation, the winery was owned by the church until it came under state control during the French Revolution and was eventually bought by Peter Schneiders in 1805.
Today, Schneiders’ descendants carry on the winemaking tradition, producing a range of well-regarded Rieslings and a growing portfolio of natural wines.
Jan Matthias Klein, Schneiders’ current working descendant, is taking the winery back to its roots, producing wine the old-fashioned way without additives.
Klein introduced organic practices to Staffelter Hof in 2011, and by 2012, the winery was eco-certified by the European Organic Certifiers Council for its natural wines.
Today, you can tour the original Stavelot Abbey or stay as a guest at Staffelter Hof, in one of seven fully furnished on-site apartments accommodating one to six people.