The winegrowers' cooperative "Collegium Wirtemberg eG" is located on the outskirts of Stuttgart (Remstal-Stuttgart) in the German growing region of Württemberg. It was formed in July 2007 by the merger of the Rotenberg and Uhlbach cooperatives. The wine cellar is located in Württembergstraße at the end of the Untertürkheim district. A large winery building was constructed in 1975 in the disused Fleckenstein quarry on Rotenberger Steige. The extensive wooden barrel cellar is naturally air-conditioned by the fountain artwork "Fließende Kräfte" ("Flowing Forces") by Rotenberg sculptor Siegfried Berner. Philipp Kollmar is the managing director, Thomas Eckard the cellar master and Rainer Bubeck is responsible for viticulture.
The white grapes are delivered by around 100 members of the cooperative. They cultivate vineyards with a total of 155 hectares of vineyards in the two single vineyards Schlossberg (Rotenberg) and Götzenberg (Uhlbach). About two-thirds of the red wine varieties grown are Trollinger(Schiava Grossa),Pinot Noir, Samtrot, Lemberger (Blaufränkisch), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, St. Laurent, Dornfelder, Herbaceous, and Piedmont. Laurent, Dornfelder, Heroldrebe and Syrah, and about one third of the white wine varieties Riesling, Silvaner, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Traminer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and, as the first PIWI variety, Souvignier Gris are cultivated and processed.
The winegrowers are supported and advised on environmentally friendly vineyard management. In plant protection, great importance is attached to sustainability and biodiversity (species diversity). In addition to protecting the flora in the vineyard, insect protection is an important focus. The grape berry moth is controlled by the confusion method using pheromone traps. The farm has been a member of the "Biotop-Verbund" since 2006. As a quality-enhancing measure, thinning is carried out long before the grape harvest, which significantly reduces the later yield.
The white wines are matured in stainless steel or wooden barrels. The red wines mature after mash fermentation and malolactic fermentation in large wooden barrels and partly in barrique or tonneau. The large product range includes wines in the lines Cult (best vintages), Monument (wines emphasising the terroir ), Monarchy (reference to the royal history of the country), Edition (wines typical of the vineyards), Classic (traditional varieties) and Passion (innovative wines). In years with suitable weather conditions, ice wines are also produced. Bottle-fermented sparkling wines and noble brandies, marc and wine) are also produced.
