The winery is located in the municipality of Dernau in the centre of the German
Ahr wine region. It was founded in 1953 by Hermann-Josef Kreuzberg, then managing director of the Dernau Winegrowers' Association. Today the estate is managed by Ludwig Kreuzberg and Frank Josten. An ostrich farm is attached. The vineyards cover about 8.5 hectares of vineyard area, of which more than 6 hectares are in steep and steeply sloping vineyards. These are the individual sites
Hardtberg and
Pfarrwingert (Dernau),
Rosenthal and
Silberberg (Ahrweiler),
Trotzenberg (Marienthal),
Alte Lay (Walporzheim), as well as
Kirchtürmchen,
Schieferlay and
Sonnenberg (Bad Neuenahr). All layers are approved for the production of large plants according to the
VDP classification model. They are mostly planted with the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Frühburgunder, Dornfelder, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Regent. In Dernau there are small stocks of Riesling and Pinot Blanc.
The cultivation is carried out according to the guidelines of an integrated viticulture or
integrated plant protection (KIP).
Fertilisation with stable manure, straw bedding, bark mulch or
greening play an important role. By pruning and
thinning out the vines, a yield of between 25 and 40 hl/ha is achieved in the top locations. Other quality-enhancing criteria are
defoliation in late summer and selective manual harvesting. All dry red wines are traditionally fermented in open vats. After
malolactic fermentation, they are slowly and gently aged for between 10 and 18 months in large conventional wooden barrels or new barriques.
Vinegars, noble brandies and bottle-fermented sparkling wines are also produced. The winery is a member of the
VDP.
