The "Weingut Benzinger" is located in the municipality of Kirchheim a. d. Weinstraße (Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstraße area) in the German wine-growing region of Pfalz. The foundation walls of the traditional Leiningerhof date back to the end of the 16th century. The estate's own "Benzingers Restaurant" serves regional Palatinate dishes and the estate's own wines. The family business is run by Volker (who studied oenology in
Geisenheim) and Inge Benzinger. Their daughter Julia, a trained winemaker, is also responsible for the vinification. The vineyards cover 13 hectares of vines in the single vineyards Geißkopf, Kreuz, Römerstraße and Steinacker (Kirchheim), Schlossberg and Goldgrube (Bockenheim) as well as Schnepp (Obersülzen). Two thirds of the vineyards are planted with the white wine varieties Riesling, Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois and Sauvignon Blanc, and one third with the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Portugieser, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The vineyards are cultivated in an environmentally friendly way with
cover crop (flowers and herbs), purely mechanical removal of weeds, exclusively organic
fertilisation and pest control with mainly
plant strengthening agents. The majority of the grapes are harvested by hand. The transport of the grape material is carried out carefully without pumping or crushing by means of a conveyor belt. The character of the wines is preserved through
spontaneous fermentation and emphasises the origin. The premium wines include "Kreuz Sylvaner - Alte Reben", "STEINACKER Riesling Kalkmergel", "STEINACKER Riesling", "August - der Rote" and "KREUZ Pinot noir - non filtré". Around 100,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. The winery is a member of the Generation Riesling and Generation Pfalz associations.
