Weingut Wittmann

The winery is located in the municipality of Westhofen (Wonnegau area) in the German wine-growing region of Rheinhessen. Viticulture has been known in the family since 1663. Philipp Wittmann and his wife Eva share the management of the estate with Philipp's parents, Günter and Elisabeth Wittmann. The vineyards cover 30 hectares of vines in the Westhofen sites of Aulerde, Brunnenhäuschen, Kirchspiel and Morstein. About half of the vineyards are planted with Riesling, Silvaner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Quality criteria are low yields and selective hand harvesting in several passes. The vineyards have been cultivated according to ecological principles since 1990 and since 2004 consistently according to the guidelines of biodynamic viticulture. This includes, for example, uncompromising renunciation of herbicides, synthetic chemical fungicides, insecticides and easily soluble mineral fertilisers.

The organic wines are produced in accordance with the EU Organic Regulation. In the large vaulted cellar, the gently pressed must ferments spontaneously with its natural yeasts in wooden barrels. The slow fermentation is intended to preserve the aromatic substances. The wines are matured in large wooden bar rels and partly in stainless steel tanks, the best red wines in barriques. All dry wines are labelled according to the VDP classification. Only the best Riesling wines of a vintage bear the names of the above-mentioned sites. The fruit-driven estate wines usually come from several vineyards of the estate. The local wines, which are characterised by high fruit ripeness, are produced by selective harvesting in the best vineyards. The Erste Lage wines comprise Riesling wines that can be stored for a long time and have a very individual character. The "VDP Grosse Lage" wines comprise Riesling wines with a very individual character that can be stored for a long time. Dry wines from "VDP Grosser Lage" are called Grosses Gewächs, the fruity-sweet or noble-sweet wines are marketed under their predicate as Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. The winery is a member of the VDP (Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter - Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates), the organic association Naturland, and the Rhine-Hesse association Message in a Bottle.