Summary
Weingut Stigler in Ihringen is one of the most traditional addresses on the Kaiserstuhl in Baden. In family ownership since 1881 and today run in the fourth generation by Andreas and Regina Stigler, the VDP estate farms around 14 hectares – a large part of them in the famous Ihringer Winklerberg, one of the warmest sites in Germany. At the centre are Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Chardonnay: wines that, despite the warm climate, aim for elegance, minerality and substance rather than power.
History
The estate's story begins in 1881, when Josef Fidel Stigler laid the foundation on the Ihringer Winklerberg – initially to supply the family's railway station restaurant in Freiburg with its own wine. Just a few years later his wines were winning awards from the Baden wine-growing association. The family committed early to single-varietal winemaking, and according to the estate, the first Trockenbeerenauslese of an Ihringer Winklerberg Riesling came from the 1930 vintage.
The year 1945 marked a turning point: after the station building in Freiburg was destroyed in the war, Rudolf Stigler, the family's last station innkeeper, moved to Ihringen for good and devoted himself exclusively to viticulture. He expanded the estate step by step and focused consistently on the best sites of the Kaiserstuhl. In 1986 the estate joined the VDP; since 1991 Andreas and Regina Stigler have run the business, now supported by the fifth generation.
Location & Terroir
Ihringen lies at the southern tip of the Kaiserstuhl, the extinct volcanic massif in the Upper Rhine plain that ranks among the warmest and sunniest wine regions in Germany. The Winklerberg is a steep, south-facing, terraced slope where the heat literally builds up – it is no coincidence that one section is called Backöfele, the little bake oven.
The soils are diverse: weathered volcanic rock, gneiss and loess shape the estate's vineyards. The volcanic rock stores heat and gives the wines spice and a smoky, mineral note, while loess brings fullness and a supple texture. The portfolio is rounded out by parcels in the Freiburger Schlossberg with gneiss soils and in the Oberrotweiler Eichberg in the interior of the Kaiserstuhl.
Style & Philosophy
The house motto is, in essence: bring nature into the bottle. Stigler combines tradition with careful modernity and relies on sustainable farming, hand harvesting and a gentle approach to the soil. Patience and the right feel for the harvest date are decisive – especially on a site as warm as the Winklerberg, where the aim is to preserve freshness and balance.
Stylistically, the wines stand for origin, precision and elegance: the Pinots are taut rather than opulent, and the Rieslings show the spicy minerality of the volcanic rock. Alongside the classic Kaiserstuhl Pinot varieties, the estate also cultivates rarities such as Chenin Blanc, Silvaner, Traminer and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as its own sparkling-wine line.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range follows the VDP pyramid – from estate and village wines up to the Große Gewächse. The most important sites and parcels include:
- Ihringer Winklerberg – the heart of the estate, on volcanic rock
- Vorderer Winklerberg – home of the Spätburgunder GG nicknamed Backöfele
- Pagode in the Winklerberg – known for Grauburgunder and Chardonnay
- Freiburger Schlossberg – Pinots and Riesling on gneiss
- Oberrotweiler Eichberg and Ihringer Fohrenberg
The Spätburgunder from the Winklerberg in particular is regarded as the estate's calling card.
Awards
Weingut Stigler has been listed for years in the leading German wine guides such as Gault&Millau, Falstaff and Feinschmecker and is one of the established VDP addresses in Baden. Its wines are considered a reliable reference for the volcanic terroir of the Kaiserstuhl – elegant, age-worthy and remarkably fresh for one of the warmest sites in Germany.
