founded in 2000 by daniel vollenweider from graubünden, with little more than a hectare of grapes in the wolfer goldgrube area and sheer enthusiasm making up for capital. daniel vollenweider and moritz hoffmann have headed the winery jointly since 2020, with the latter continuing the story since 2022.
the mostly unconsolidated parcels are spread across six hectares on the steep moselle slopes. their generally very old, ungrafted riesling vines provide us with dry, sweet, and noble sweet wines belonging among the top of the region‘s produce, impressively demonstrating the potential of the slopes around the traditional wine-trading city traben-trarbach.
we aim for distinct wines which nevertheless show the influences of terroir and vintage. respect for the interconnections of nature with acceptance and understanding for the effects of external factors on the vines is the basis of our work.
the existence of our winery is not a given; especially if standard business criteria had been applied at its founding. thankfully they weren‘t?… thus, passion for crystal clear wines, boldness, a touch of obsession and an unwavering commitment to quality managed what logic and math said was near impossible.
in 2022, much too early, daniel vollenweider passed away. moritz hoffmann, who found his way here from the wine-producing village alf, a bit downstream from traben-trarbach, is driven by the same ideas and by exactly the same sense for the products’ standards. no ifs, ands, or buts.
wolfer goldgrube — the core of our business, we are now cultivators of the largest portion of the 7 hectare site. southern and western orientation, rocky grey slate shot-through with red veins; long ripening periods; aromatic and playful clear wines, with minerality and of elegant lightness.
schimbock — exclusive cultivation of the 0.6 hectare site, directly downstream from goldgrube, framed by rock faces and dry stone walls; grey slate soil with quarzite produces full-bodied, aromatic, earthy wines with minerality.
kröver steffensberg — a location immediately upstream from the wolfer goldgrube, facing south; a blue slate content of the soil yields somewhat fruitier wines, accessible when young compared to the wines of the goldgrube.
vineyard sites and assortment
exclusively on some of the steepest slopes with a high proportion of ungrafted riesling vines, some over 100 years old often in traditional single-pole plantings; delicate cultivation by-hand along ecological guidelines; organic viticulture certification as of the 2023 vintage; a particularly gentle vinification process, exclusively using spontaneous fermentation with as few interventions in the natural processes as possible and without any fining, and thus completely vegan.
fully-fermented wines
estate riesling felsenfest: sophisticated wine for everyday enjoyment, grown on proprietary steep slopes surrounding traben-trarbach and carefully hand-picked
village wine wolfer: from some of the goldgrube‘s best plots; an ideal show of flavor profile of the site,overlooking from steep above the moselle opposite the village. elegant, sustained fruit, subtly balanced with intense minerality; refined accompaniment to meals with potential for some years of bottle maturation
grand crus: goldgrube and goldgrube aurum (from the oldest, circa 120 year old vines); schimbock (monopole site cultivation, pressing with traditional basket press for depth and fine structure); the steffensberg site is only available in selected vintages, with wines of particularly refined minerality
fruity and noble sweet wines
following the traditional german wine nomeclature, these are available as kabinett, spätlese, auslese, beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese from the wolfer goldgrube, the kröver steffensberg and the trarbacher burgberg
sparkling wine
tschiel (romansh for ”heaven“), a cuvée of pinot blanc and chardonnay, with traditional bottle fermentation; substantial yet accessible, it goes as well with food as for clinking glasses
weingut vollenweider gbr
daniel vollenweider & moritz hoffmann
phone: +49 6541 8645074
address:
wolfer weg 53
56841 traben-trarbach
germany
tastings by appointment only