Summary
Weingut von Winning in Deidesheim is today one of the best-known and highest-rated addresses in the Pfalz. Across around 80 hectares – predominantly Riesling – it produces uncompromisingly dry wines from the great sites of Forst, Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg. What makes the estate unmistakable is its signature: the Rieslings are fermented spontaneously in large wooden casks as well as in barriques, giving them a depth, texture and ageing potential unusual for German white wine. Since the realignment in 2007, estate director Stephan Attmann has led von Winning to the absolute top of the German wine world.
History
The estate's roots reach back to 1849, when Friedrich Deinhard from Koblenz founded a winery in Deidesheim. The house owes its present name to Leopold von Winning, who married into the Deinhard family in 1907 and was one of the influential figures of German viticulture – among other things as a co-founder of the forerunner organisation of today's VDP.
For decades the estate traded as "Dr. von Winning" or "Dr. Deinhard". The decisive turning point came in 2007: the entrepreneur Achim Niederberger acquired the estate, gave it an independent name again with "von Winning", and brought in the young winemaker Stephan Attmann as estate and cellar director. Attmann broke with the previous style and radically reoriented the estate towards dry, wood-fermented top Rieslings. After Niederberger's death in 2013, the estate passed to his heir Jana Seeger; Stephan Attmann shapes the style to this day.
Location & Terroir
Von Winning lies on the German Wine Route (Deutsche Weinstraße) in the Mittelhaardt – that heartland of the Pfalz which stands for some of Germany's best dry Rieslings. The climate is mild and sun-blessed; the Haardt escarpment, the eastern spur of the Palatinate Forest, shelters the vines from weather extremes. Fig and almond trees between the rows show just how warm it can get here.
The diversity of soils is decisive. In Forst, black basalt (for example in the Pechstein site) produces smoky, mineral, taut wines, while limestone and colourful sandstone (Buntsandstein) soils in Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg give rise to fuller, more elegant Rieslings. This small-scale geological diversity allows the estate to draw out an unmistakable character from each site.
Style & Philosophy
The stylistic core idea at von Winning is to treat Riesling like a great white Burgundy. The grapes are pressed whole or partly as whole clusters, the musts fermented spontaneously with the vineyard's own yeasts, and the wines aged for many months on the fine lees in large wooden casks (Stückfass, Doppelstück) and in barrique. The result is dry Rieslings with a dense body, fine phenolic structure and great ageing capacity – far removed from the light, fruit-forward style.
The Sauvignon Blanc has also become a hallmark: barrique-fermented and complex, it is among the most ambitious examples of the variety in Germany. The range is rounded out by Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and a small, fine sparkling-wine programme.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range is clearly tiered: from accessible estate Rieslings through village wines to the Große Gewächse from the grand cru sites. Among the estate's most famous vineyards are:
- Forster Kirchenstück – often described as the finest Riesling site in Germany
- Forster Jesuitengarten and Forster Pechstein – the one full of finesse, the other smoky and mineral on basalt
- Forster Ungeheuer – powerful and spicy
- Deidesheimer Kalkofen, Grainhübel, Kieselberg, Langenmorgen and Mäushöhle
- Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad
These wines regularly rank among the highest-rated dry Rieslings in Germany.
Awards
Since the realignment, von Winning has consistently collected top marks in the leading wine guides (Falstaff, Gault&Millau, Eichelmann) and international tastings. The estate is today undisputedly regarded as one of the flagships for dry Riesling from the Pfalz – and has contributed significantly to establishing the wood-fermented, "Burgundian" style in Germany.