[1] Originally founded as a Benedictine monastery, the estate was transformed into a Baroque palace and winery in the early 18th century under the ownership of the Prince-Abbots of Fulda.

In the early 19th century, the estate entered a new chapter under the ownership of Austrian diplomat Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich.

It is a prominent location for the Rheingau Musik Festival, a role made possible by co-founder princess Tatiana von Metternich-Winneburg, who ensured the estate’s continued contribution to the arts.

From his palace in Ingelheim, Charlemagne is said to have observed that snow on Johannisberg melted earlier than on surrounding hills as spring arrived, inspiring the cultivation of vines on its slopes.

This foundation, and its subsequent naming, were associated with the tragic Rhineland massacres of 1096 (known in Hebrew as Gzerot Tatnó), which took place during the First Crusade on 27 May, the feast day of Pope John I.

First mentioned around 1170, it existed until 1452 and later lent its name to the present-day wine estate “Johannisberger Klaus.” After an initial period of prosperity, the monastery experienced a gradual decline.

When the last abbot passed away in 1563, Archbishop Daniel Brendel von Homburg of Mainz decreed the dissolution of the monastery, and its properties were placed under secular administration.

In 1635, during the Thirty Years' War, Archbishop Anselm Casimir of Mainz was forced to pawn Johannisberg to cover the costs of the Swedish occupation of the Rheingau.

The debt was increased by 10,000 Reichsthaler in 1641, and the contract was later transferred to the creditor's descendants, Georg von Gise and his son Johann Heinrich.

The dilapidated monaster buildings were demolished and the leading Mainz architects, Andrea Gallasini and Johann Kaspar Herwarthel, constructed a three-winged Baroque palace with a courtyard located to the north.

This cellar, where the finest Johannisberger wines were stored, was overseen by the “secret cabinet,” the private treasury of the Prince-Abbot or Prince-Bishop (from 1752 onward).

These "cabinet" wines were, by today’s standards, selections of late-harvest or botrytized (noble rot) grapes, systematically produced by the Johannisberg estate starting in the last quarter of the 18th century.

That year, the courier responsible for delivering a sample of Johannisberg grapes to Fulda to obtain harvest permission was delayed by eight days.

[8] But in 1806, he was expropriated as he refused to join the Confederation of the Rhine, and Napoleon granted the vineyard and palace to Marshal Kellermann, the first duke of Valmy.

Austria only renounced its political sovereignty claims over Johannisberg in 1851, which resulted in significant back taxes being paid to the Nassau state treasury.

In 1826, the Prince of Metternich remodeled the main building of Schloss Johannisberg in a neoclassical style with help of Georg Moller, court architect of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

The reconstruction created a striking contrast: the earlier Baroque design emphasized verticality, whereas the later Neoclassical style shifted the focus to horizontal elements.

Note that Schloss Johannisberg was not the main country seat of the princes of Metternich, as this were Kynžvart Castle and Plasy monastery in Bohemia.

In the first half of the 19th century, Johannisberg became a destination for the emerging Rhine tourism; visitors enjoyed the famous wine right on the castle terrace.

Even today, the wine bar remains in this location, surrounded by vine-covered pergolas, espaliered fig trees, and a chestnut-lined avenue.

The German artist Carl Hemerlein from Mainz created a book of watercolor drawings depicting Schloss Johannisberg, which he prepared for Prince Metternich.

[12] As a result, highly valuable, mostly oriental weapons from the 13th and 14th centuries—gifts from foreign rulers and part of the State Chancellor's collection—were handed over in a chest reinforced with iron bands.

In 1940 in Berlin, where he belonged to a circle of opponents of the Nazi regime, he met his future wife Tatiana Vassiltschikov, who had a position in the foreign office.

Tatiana was born a princess, but had to flee Russia with her family in 1919, following the Bolshevik October Revolution by joining a group of people who had been evacuated by the British fleet.

[16] But determined to restore their new home, Prince Paul and Princess Tatiana embarked on a long and laborious reconstruction effort, which spanned nearly two decades, concluding in 1964.

In collaboration with Henkell & Söhnlein, part of the Oetker Group, the couple introduced the sparkling wine "Fürst von Metternich," which remains a notable product of the estate.

[16] In 1974, the princely couple shared ownership of Schloss Johannisberg and the winery with the Oetker family, solidifying a partnership that ensured the estate's continued operation.

[19] Tradition has it that on one occasion a messenger from Heinrich von Bibra, Prince-Bishop and Abbot of Fulda, was 14 days late in bringing the papers to give the cellar master permission to start harvesting the grapes.

After the destruction during World War II it was rebuilt as a Romanesque basilica and has served as the Catholic parish church for the village Johannisberg.

In 2009, the Neue Rheingauer Kantorei performed Haydn's Die Schöpfung with soloists Elisabeth Scholl, Daniel Sans and Andreas Pruys.