The winery is located in the municipality of Gönnheim (Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstraße area) in the German wine-growing region of
Pfalz on the so-called Hochterassen of the
Rhine. The family business is run by Rainer, Ingeborg and Vincent Eymann. The vineyards cover 15 hectares in the Mandelgarten and Sonnenberg (Gönnheim) vineyards. The most important grape varieties are Riesling and Pinot Noir, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, as well as smaller portions of Silvaner, Muscat, Merlot and St. Laurent.
The winery is one of the organic pioneers, having started with
organic cultivation as early as 1982 when it was taken over. Since 2006,
biodynamic viticulture has been practised according to the rules of the
Naturland and
DEMETER associations. This includes a diverse
cover crop in order to preserve the natural fertility of the soil and create a habitat for a rich fauna, careful
foliage management, and gentle soil cultivation to reduce
fungal diseases. During the
vegetative cycle, the vines are treated with biodynamic preparations of herbs, rock meals and
compost.
The grapes are harvested by hand. After the
spontaneous fermentation, the white wines are matured for a very long time until March (local wines) or July (Toreye selection) on the
full lees in order to support the natural
clarification and development of the
aromatic substances
As a rule, they are
filtered only once and bottled without the use of
fining agents. The red wines are generally
fermented on the skins and, depending on the grape variety, matured in traditional wooden barrels or in barriques. The Pinot Noir selection wines in particular are aged in barrique for up to 18 months. The name of the reserve wine line "Selektion Toreye" goes back (as does the family name) to the Toreye feudal estate (mhdt. "zur Aue") mentioned as early as 1350 and is also the symbol of the family coat of arms. The top segment is made up of wines from old vines from individual plots in Sonnenberg (loess, lime) and Mandelgarten (lime-rich loess, clay). In addition, bottle-fermented sparkling wines (with 24 to 60 months of yeast storage), secco (sparkling wines), noble brandies (grape, pomace) and grape juices are also produced.
