Weingut Gunderloch

The winery is located in the municipality of Nackenheim (Nierstein area) in the German wine-growing region of Rheinhessen. It was founded in 1890 by the Mainz banker Carl Gunderloch (1846-1935) through the purchase of the legendary Nackenheimer Rothenberg site. He is considered a pioneer of quality winegrowing on the Rhine and was a co-founder of today's VDP. Until 2015, Gunderloch's great-great-granddaughter Agnes ran the winery with her husband Fritz Hasselbach. Since then, it has been run in the sixth family generation by son Johannes Hasselbach, the great-great-great-grandson of the founder. He is assisted by cellar master Markus Weickert. A renovation and expansion of the estate were completed in 2017.

The vineyards cover 24 hectares of vines in the single vineyard sites of Hipping and Pettenthal (Nierstein) and Rothenberg (Nackenheim) in the Roter Hang (Rhine Front). Around half of the vineyards are terraced steep slopes with a slope gradient of up to 70%. They are planted with the white wine varieties Riesling (with 85% the leading variety), Silvaner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as with the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Blauer Portugieser. Through short pruning, an average yield of around 50 hl/ha is aimed for. The aim is to achieve a balance between aromas, fruit acidity and berry ripeness in order to obtain concentrated wines with a mineral character.

In accordance with the VDP classification model, the product range is divided into the levels Grosses Gewächs or Grosse Lage and Erste Lage, Ortsweine and Gutsweine. In the cellar, work is carried out according to non-invasive rules (as much as necessary, as little as possible). In years with suitable weather conditions, Trockenbeerenauslese wines are also pressed. Around 200,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. The German writer Carl Zuckmayer (1896-1977) has the character Jean Baptist Gunderloch appear in his comedy "Der fröhliche Weinberg" (The Merry Vineyard), which was first performed in 1926. He praises a Riesling Spätlese Nackenheimer Rothenberg from the 1920 vintage to the skies. There are even a few bottles of this legendary wine of the century still stored in the winery's cellar. The winery has been a member of the VDP (Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates) for many years. Since 1996, the Balbach Erben wine estate has also been leased.