Weingut Wittmann
For more than 350 years, Weingut Wittmann has been a household name in Germany's Rheinhessen region. Today, the 14th and 15th generations are at the helm of this traditional winery. These are Günter and his son Philipp Wittmann. Together they focus on producing terroir wines.
The rolling vineyards have a total area of 30 hectares. These have been maintained according to organic regulations since the 1990s. In 2004, they went a step further and applied biodynamic principles. At the time, they were one of the first wineries to opt for organic viticulture. Applying biodynamics creates more balance and healthier vines. The soil consists of limestone, clay and marl. Riesling is Wittmann's number one grape. It is followed by weissburgunder (pinot blanc), chardonnay and scheurebe.
After the manual harvest, the bunches are carefully selected for quality. Then the grapes are gently pressed. The juice then flows by gravity into the six-metre-deep cellar. The wine is thus not over-pumped or roughly handled, which is beneficial for its intensity. The yeasts naturally present on the grapes are used for fermentation. The wines are then aged in large old barrels, the oldest barrel dating back to 1890 (!). Philipp produces several lines, including Ortswein, VDP Ersten Lagen, VDP Grosse Lage and reserve wines. Wittmann's Grosses Gewächs wines are: Kirchspiel, Aulerde, Brunnenhäuschen, La Borne and Morstein. The winery is known for its expressive and mineral rieslings that are among the best in the country. In fact, Philipp has been named Germany's best white winemaker several times!
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