Weingut Wittmann

In the village of Westhofen, located in the Wonnegau district of Rheingau, the Wittmann Winery is one of Germany’s leading producers of dry Riesling. Run by Philipp Wittmann and his wife Eva, with the active involvement of his parents, Günter and Elisabeth, the winery is renowned for its wines, which are characterised by precision and a distinct terroir, as well as for being one of the first to switch to organic and biodynamic farming.

History

The Wittmann family has been involved in winemaking in Westhofen for a long time: the winery is first mentioned in historical documents from 1663 as a leased estate of the Electorate of the Palatinate. Bottling wine under their own name began in 1921. In the 1960s, Georg and Irmgard Wittmann developed the winery within what was then a mixed farm typical of the Rheingau.

The real turning point came in the 1980s, when Günter and Elisabeth converted the vineyards to organic farming, obtaining certification in 1990 and joining the Naturland association of organic farmers. Their son Philipp, who trained in Geisenheim, went a step further, switching to biodynamic farming in 2004.

In 1998, the estate joined the prestigious VDP, the German association of leading wine-growing estates.

Vineyards

The estate cultivates around 25–28 hectares of vineyards, all of which are located near Westhofen. The key point for the Wittmanns is that they own significant plots in all four of the village’s VDP Grosse Lagen: Aulerde, Kirchspiel, Brunnenhausen and Mörstein. In particular, Mörstein is situated high on a slope and is renowned as one of the finest sites for growing Riesling in Germany.

Work in the vineyards is carried out by hand, with selective harvesting in several passes.

Terroir

Westhofen is situated in the southern part of Rheinhessen, where the soils are mainly clayey marl with a strong limestone base. Each Grosse Lage has its own characteristics: Aulerde has more sand, Kirchspiel is situated on similar soils with deeper limestone, Brunnenhäuschen is higher up, where ripening takes longer, and Morstein has the deepest and hardest limestone, which gives the wines greater depth and ageing potential. The hillside location helps the grapes ripen slowly and retain their acidity.

Grapes

Riesling is the main grape variety and the estate’s flagship. Alongside it, the Wittmanns grow Silvaner, a classic Rheingau variety, as well as several members of the Pinot family, notably Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Chardonnay. A small plot is planted with Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) for the production of rosé and red wines.

Winemaking method

The cellar is a stone vaulted cellar, built in 1829, situated six metres underground, with a constant cool temperature and humidity. Around 80 wooden barrels are used, with each plot stored separately. The grapes are gently pressed; the must flows into the cellar by gravity and ferments slowly using indigenous yeasts, mainly in large wooden barrels. The winemaking approach is minimalist: the vineyard speaks for itself, and most of the wines are dry.

Wines

The range follows the VDP pyramid: from Gutsweine (estate wines) to village wines, single-vineyard wines (Ortsweine and Erste Lage) and top-tier Grosse Gewächse (GG) from four Grand Cru plots.

The Riesling Gutswein is a popular entry-level wine. The four GG Rieslings from Aulerde, Kirchspil, Brunnenhausen and Morstein are the flagship wines. There are also GG-level Weißburgunder, Silvaner and Chardonnay, as well as rosé and red Spätburgunder.