Summary
Weingut Prinz Salm in Wallhausen on the Nahe holds a title few can dispute: it is regarded as Germany's oldest wine estate in unbroken ownership of the same family. The princes of Salm have tended vines here for around 800 years, now in the 32nd generation. Across around 18 hectares on the Nahe and in Bingen in Rheinhessen, the estate produces above all dry, mineral Rieslings, complemented by Pinot varieties, Scheurebe and sparkling wine. Prinz Salm is a member of the VDP and was one of the early pioneers of organic viticulture in the region.
History
The estate's history is closely tied to the noble house of Salm, which held land between the Nahe, the Hunsrück and the Rhine for centuries. As early as around 1200, the family's vineyard holdings appear in a property register; the Wallhäuser Felseneck is said to have been cultivated by the family since the early 13th century. From the 16th century onwards, individual vineyard parcels are documented in detail. The centre of the estate is Schloss Wallhausen, rebuilt from the mid-18th century, which remains the family's residence and the winery's headquarters to this day.
A defining figure of recent history was Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm. He converted the estate to organic viticulture in the late 1980s – at a time when this was still the exception among top German producers – and served as president of the VDP from 1990 to 2007. During this period, the association's vineyard classification was decisively advanced.
His son Felix Prinz zu Salm-Salm, a trained oenologist, has been responsible for vineyard and cellar since 2007 and took over the estate in the mid-2010s. Together with his wife Victoria, he runs it in the 32nd generation and is increasingly focusing on regenerative farming methods.
Location & Terroir
Wallhausen lies in a side valley of the Nahe north-west of Bad Kreuznach. The Nahe is one of Germany's most geologically diverse wine regions, and this is reflected in the Prinz Salm vineyards. In the Felseneck, the so-called Dalberg green slate (Grünschiefer) is a genuine geological rarity that lends the Rieslings a cool, taut minerality. The Nahe vineyards are spread across Wallhausen, Dalberg, Roxheim and Sommerloch.
The second location is in Bingen am Rhein, already part of Rheinhessen. The famous Scharlachberg at the confluence of the Nahe and the Rhine owes its name to its reddish, iron-rich soils and has long been considered one of the region's finest Riesling sites. Prinz Salm thus unites two growing regions of very different character under one roof.
Style & Philosophy
At the heart of the estate is Riesling, which accounts for roughly three quarters of the vineyard area. The wines are mostly vinified dry, built for precision, minerality and ageing potential, and shaped more by elegance than by opulent fruit. A hallmark of the estate is mature Riesling: some Große Gewächse are only released after many years of bottle ageing.
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) also play an important role, complemented by Scheurebe and a small share of Merlot. The range further includes rosé, blends, Sekt and alcohol-free wines. In the vineyards, the family has relied on close-to-nature farming for decades – after its early organic conversion, today with a regenerative approach and the Fair'n Green sustainability seal.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range follows the VDP pyramid from estate wines through village wines to single-vineyard wines. The most important sites include:
- Wallhäuser Felseneck – grand cru on green slate, owned by the family since the Middle Ages
- Wallhäuser Johannisberg – grand cru on the Nahe
- Binger Scharlachberg – grand cru in Rheinhessen on reddish, iron-rich soils
- Binger Kirchberg – another top site in Bingen
- Roxheimer Berg, Dalberger Ritterhölle and Sommerlocher Steinrossel – premier cru sites (Erste Lagen) on the Nahe
Besides the dry Große Gewächse, the nobly sweet Rieslings, such as Auslesen from the Scharlachberg, also enjoy a fine reputation.
Awards
Prinz Salm is regularly featured in the leading German wine guides such as Falstaff, Gault&Millau and Eichelmann. As Germany's oldest family-owned wine estate, an early organic pioneer and through Michael Prinz zu Salm-Salm's long VDP presidency, the estate has shaped the German wine landscape far beyond the Nahe.
