In the Rheingau, approximately twelve monasteries were founded. Kloster Eberbach stands out as the most prominent, established in 1135 with the involvement of Bernard of Clairvaux. The monastery quickly expanded its district, acquiring twelve granges and farms within just 28 years. In 1141, Archbishop Markolf of Mainz gifted Kloster Eberbach a swampy area along the Rhine between Eltville and Erbach. The experienced Cistercian monks in hydraulic engineering drained this area, creating the monastery's first economic farmstead. Known as "Draiser Hof," it was primarily used for cultivating vineyards and orchards to sustain the monks themselves. Positioned opposite the Rhine, Draiser Aue further enhanced the monastery's significance.
The monastery's rule mandated a specific diet, including two cooked vegetables and fresh fruit with every meal. Due to the mild climate, the monks cultivated the gifted Rhine floodplain to meet these dietary needs. Given its strategic location along the Rhine, Draiser Hof also served as a vital wine storage and transshipment point for monastery goods.
Since 1818, Draiser Hof has been owned by the Baron Knyphausen family and has been managed by Baron Frederik Knyphausen, the eighth generation since 2015. Today, Draiser Hof is home to the VDP estate of Baron Knyphausen, the Baron Knyphausen estate hotel with various event spaces, 14 guest rooms, and a large 4.5-bedroom vacation apartment in the historic gutsHAUS.
In October 2018, the new modern wine shop, knypHAUS, was opened. In 2021, the wine shop at knypHAUS was recognized as one of the top 30 wine shops in Germany!
Among its culinary highlights, we have our 1818 - Restaurant & Winebar in the knypHAUS and during the summer months, the relaxed "Weinlounge1141" in the gutsPARK.