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 2019. after daniel’s death in 2022, the winery will be managed by Moritz alone.
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.
this drives us still — the ”founding father“ daniel vollenweider as well as moritz hoffmann, who found his way here from the wine-producing village alf, downstream from traben-trarbach, with the same standards and his own ideas in tow. our organic certification due in 2023 is one of them.
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
gutsriesling felsenfest: a sophisticated wine both for everyday enjoyment and gastronomy, grown on selected steep slopes surrounding traben-trarbach
ortswein wolfer: from 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; a refined accompaniment to meals with potential for some years of bottle maturation
grand crus: goldgrube and goldgrube aurum (from the oldest, circa 100 year old vines); schimbock (exclusive cultivation, pressing with traditional basket press for depth and fine structure); the steffensberg site is only available in selected vintages, with wines known for particularly refined minerality
fruity and noble sweet wines
following the german wine nomeclature, these are available as kabinett, spätlese, auslesen, beerenauslesen and trockenbeerenauslesen from the wolfer goldgrube, the kröver steffensberg and the schimbock, according with the vintage.
sparkling wines
tschiel (romansch for ”heaven“), made from pinot blanc and chardonnay grapes; and tiara (”earth“ or ”crown“), a pure chardonnay — both with traditional bottle fermentation
weingut vollenweider gbr
daniel vollenweider & moritz hoffmann
phone: +49 6541 8645074
address:
wolfer weg 53
56841 traben-trarbach
germany
tastings by appointment only