Jan Wongse Raumland

Jan Wongseraumland, half Thai, half German, was born and raised in Germany. He grew up in Bonn and moved to Sieversheim in the Rheingau at the age of six, surrounded by vineyards from a very early age.

History

His journey into the world of wine began in restaurants, where an excellent wine list turned him into a sommelier. He then trained as a winemaker at the renowned Emrich-Schönleber estate, studied in Geisenheim, undertook internships from Ara to South Africa, and worked full-time at the Klaus-Peter Keller winery. During an internship in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in South Africa, he met Katharina Raumland, daughter of Volker Raumland, founder of Sekthaus Raumland in Flörsheim-Dahlsheim, Rheingau. They married, and Jan joined the family estate. This was followed by his own brand, WongAmat, named after his Thai family, the Wongse-Amatakul.

Vineyards

Jan sources grapes from specific, named plots across Rheinhessen and Württemberg. The Bürgel plot in Flörsheim-Dahlsheim has limestone and clay soils on a cooler, east-facing slope. The Rosengarten in Kriegsheim offers gravelly and red soils on a warmer, south-facing slope. For Cabernet Franc, he works with the Untertürkheimer Herzogenberg plot in Württemberg, owned by the Wörwag family. All viticultural work is carried out 100% organically.

Grapes and winemaking

Under the WongAmat brand, Jan focuses exclusively on red wines, primarily Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), with the addition of Cabernet Franc from 2022 onwards. His approach is minimalist and intuitive, with no set formula. He uses only the finest grapes, barrels and corks.

For white wines, he uses a separate brand, WongSiri, named after his mother’s family, featuring Chardonnay and Riesling from selected plots in the Palatinate and Rheingau.

Wines

The range includes Spätburgunders from single plots in Bürgel and Rosengarten, Cabernet Franc from Herzogenberg and a non-vintage blend called Euphancholie.

Production volumes are tiny: just a few barriques per wine.

The style is invariably described as refined, fruity and delicate, without any heaviness. For someone working at one of Germany’s leading sparkling wine houses, Jan has created something entirely his own.