Summary
Weingut Kress in Überlingen on Lake Constance is a family business in what is arguably Germany's most unusual growing area: Lake Constance is at once the southernmost and the highest-altitude German wine region. Across around 32.5 hectares between Überlingen and Hagnau, the estate grows above all the Pinot varieties – Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) – plus Müller-Thurgau, Auxerrois and Chardonnay. Kristin and Thomas Kress went independent in 2001; since 2013 the family has additionally farmed the historic vineyards of the Überlingen Spital- und Spendfonds foundation. The style is hands-on, dry and true to variety – wines that carry the cool, lakeside signature of their origin.
History
Winegrowing has been part of the Kress family for three generations. For a long time they delivered their grapes to the Hagnau winegrowers cooperative, one of the oldest in Baden. In 2001, Kristin and Thomas Kress took the step into independence and began making and marketing wines under their own name – initially from Hagnau.
The decisive turning point came in 2013. The Spital- und Spendfonds Überlingen, a foundation under public law, put the farming of its vineyards out to public tender. These are among the largest contiguous vineyard holdings of the towns on Lake Constance, with a winegrowing tradition reaching back to the Middle Ages – medieval cellar vaults in Überlingen's old town still bear witness to it. Applying defined criteria, the town council chose the Kress family. The business has been based in Überlingen ever since, and part of the range is marketed as spitälischer Wein aus Überlingen.
The move also brought the next generation on board: Viola, Johannes and Steffen Kress all work in the business. Viola Kress is responsible for administration and sales, bringing international experience from posts in Hong Kong and London. The wine shop on Mühlbachstraße in Überlingen is today the place for tastings and advice.
Location & Terroir
Lake Constance is a special case in German winegrowing: the southernmost and at the same time highest-altitude wine region in the country. The Kress vines stand at roughly 400 to 500 metres – altitudes that would long since be too cool in other growing areas.
The lake itself provides the balance. That vast body of water acts as a heat store: it softens late frosts in spring, keeps autumn nights warmer for longer and thereby extends the ripening period. Added to this is the föhn, the warm downslope wind from the Alps, which brings extra hours of sunshine and dry air. The result is a mild but never hot climate – ideal for wines with clear fruit and lively acidity.
The vineyards are spread over several separate sectors between Überlingen and Hagnau that differ markedly in soil structure and exposure. Defining are the moraine soils left behind by the Ice Age glaciers, a mix of gravel, sand, loam and rubble – soils that are well aerated and release water in measured amounts.
Style & Philosophy
Kress sees itself as a hands-on family business and puts varietal typicity at the centre: the wines are meant to show what the grape and the Lake Constance origin can give, not what the cellar adds on top. The great majority of the range is made dry.
In the vineyard the family relies on a pronounced permanent cover crop: by its own account, a broad diversity of plants grows between the vine rows, loosening the soil, supplying nitrogen and creating habitat for insects. The estate holds no formal organic certification, but does claim the ambition to work in harmony with the Lake Constance landscape. Selective harvesting and gentle handling are part of that self-image.
Stylistically the white wines stand for drive and clarity rather than opulence – a signature the wine critic Stuart Pigott has described in terms of elegance and density. With the reds, above all the Spätburgunder, the aim is fruit and fine structure, not weight.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is compact and clearly organised. At its core are the Pinot varieties:
- Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) – the estate's flagships, dry and taut
- Auxerrois – a Lake Constance speciality related to Pinot Blanc
- Müller-Thurgau – the classic Lake Constance grape, light and fruit-driven
- Chardonnay, including a wine from the Goldbach site
- Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) as a red and as a rosé
- the red cuvée Fetter Schnitt
- plus Riesling, sparkling wine, Perlwein and spirits
The offering is rounded out by single-site wines and special bottlings; part of the range carries the reference to the Überlingen Spital.
Awards
The greatest international success to date has gone to the red cuvée Fetter Schnitt: at the Concours International de Lyon 2021 it was named best wine of the competition out of several thousand entries – a rare distinction for a German estate, and all the more so for Lake Constance. A Chardonnay from the Goldbach site of the 2015 vintage was also highly rated internationally.
Beyond that, the estate features regularly in the relevant wine guides and competitions and counts as one of the defining addresses of winegrowing on Lake Überlingen.