The winery is located in the municipality of Bissersheim (Mittelhaardt/Deutsche Weinstraße area) in the German wine-growing region of Pfalz. The Wageck family has been based here for centuries, and viticulture was founded by Wilhelm Wageck. The Wageck-Pfaffmann winery was founded in 1973 when Gunter Pfaffmann from Walsheim near Landau married into the business. After graduating from the Geisenheim University of Applied Sciences, his two sons Frank and Thomas Pfaffmann joined the business and are now the fifth generation to run it.
The vineyards cover 58 hectares of vineyards in the single vineyards Goldberg, Held, Orlenberg and Steig (Bissersheim), Steinacker (Kirchheim an der Weinstraße), as well as Burgweg and Osterberg (Großkarlbach). The white wine varieties Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Auxerrois, Kerner, Silvaner, Faberrebe and Ortega account for around 60% of the vineyards, while the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Blauer Portugieser, Dornfelder, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, St. Laurent, Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier), Frühburgunder, Cabernet Dorsa, Cabernet Dorio, Cabernet Mitos, Cabernet Cubin, Dunkelfelder and Lemberger (Blaufränkisch). The vineyards are cultivated in a natural, environmentally friendly way by not using herbicides, plant protection with environmentally friendly recycling sprays for over 20 years, and fertilisation with compost (pomace and horse manure). Moderate pruning in spring and extremely elaborate vine care in the leaf/cluster zone and thinning out (green harvest) in July and August lay the foundation for low yields. After a meticulous manual harvest, another selection is carried out at the sorting table.
The vinification does not follow a rigid scheme, but is individually adapted to the variety, location and vintage. Thus, for the white varieties, the maceration time, the pressing fractions and the degree of cloudiness of the must are decided specifically in each case. The white and red wines are partially fermented spontaneously for the estate wines, and 100% spontaneously for the local wines. The site wines are aged 100% in wooden barrels. The white wines are matured in half-barrels, tonneaux or barriques, the red wines in barriques with up to 100% new wood, depending on the variety and vintage. The local wines are aged up to 100% in barrique or in large wooden barrels, depending on the variety. Depending on the variety, the white estate wines are matured in wooden barrels (Sauvignon Blanc, Burgundy) or sometimes in steel tanks (Riesling), while the red estate wines are always matured 100% in barriques with multiple layers of wood. The estate's premium wines are Chardonnay Sülzner Weg and Pinot Noir Burgweg, Geisberg and Goldberg. The winery is a member of the Forum Pfalz winegrowers' association.
