The family business is located in the municipality of Illingen-Schützingen (Württembergisch Unterland) in the German
Württemberg wine growing region. It was founded in 1987 by Johannes and Ilse Häge. A Gutsschenke is attached. Although it is a jointly managed family business, two different wineries are operated. Certain practices such as organic fertilization are applied in both. Nevertheless, there is a clear separation of both cultivation methods. In the cellar, conventional and organic wines are also vinified strictly separately.
Johannes Häge is responsible for the original vineyard. The vineyards comprise a total of 3.3 hectares of vines, of which 1.9 hectares are steeply terraced plots in the individual locations Closterweinberg (Maulbronn), Halde (Mühlhausen/Enz) and Schanzreiter (Illingen). They are planted with the red wine varieties Spätburgunder, Lemberger, Trollinger, Schwarzriesling, Dornfelder, Regent, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Mitos and Merlot, as well as with the white wine varieties Riesling, Grauburgunder, Muskateller and Kerner. We also produce bottle-fermented sparkling wines, semi-sparkling wines and fine spirits (marc, wine, fruit).
Ice wine is also pressed in years suitable for the weather
Since 1984, part of the vineyards have been cultivated according to the guidelines for
organic viticulture. Since 2005, the organic winemaker Ilse Häge has been managing the estate as her own winery and marketing the wines with her own label. The vineyard area comprises 2.15 hectares in the individual locations Halde (Mühlhausen) and Heiligenberg (Schützingen). The red wine varieties Lemberger, Spätburgunder, Samtrot, Trollinger and Regent are cultivated, as well as the white wine varieties Riesling, Weißburgunder, Gewürztraminer and Rivaner.
The entire cellar is located in the historic Schützinger Kelter from 1658. White wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks in a controlled cool and slow process and are stored on the fine yeast until shortly before bottling in March. Red wines are fermented exclusively on the mash in butts or in a tank with a paddle for immersing the mash. All red wines except the Trollinger and Schwarzriesling are stored in used barriques for at least half a year, during which time they lie on their fine yeast. In addition there is also the ageing of selected varieties and qualities in new barriques.
