The winery is located on the outskirts of Bad Dürkheim (Mittelhaardt-Deutsche Weinstraße area) in the German wine-growing region of
Pfalz. It was founded in 1976 by Inge and Egon Schmitt "Am Neuberg". After studying in
Geisenheim, their son Jochen Schmitt took over responsibility for the cellar in 1996 and now runs the winery with his wife Corina, also a graduate of Geisenheim. Worth mentioning are the vinotheque and the Mediterranean-style barrique cellar. The vineyards cover 16 hectares in the Fronhof, Hochbenn, Nonnengarten,
Spielberg and Steinberg (Bad Dürkheim),
Herrenberg (Ungstein), Mandelgarten (Wachenheim) and Kreidkeller (Kallstadt) vineyards. They are 55% planted with the white wine varieties Riesling (lead variety with 30%), Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, Cabernet Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and 45% with the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Cabernet Mitos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dornfelder, Merlot, Lagrein, Portugieser, Regent and St. Laurent.
The vineyards are cultivated according to the guidelines of controlled environmentally friendly viticulture. For example, in the spirit of near-natural cultivation, the
pomace is immediately reintroduced into the vineyard soil after
pressing, so that fertilisation with natural
composts is only necessary every three to five years. After the classic
mash fermentation, the red wines mature in barriques or traditionally in large wooden barrels, depending on the desired wine style. The white wines are almost without exception fermented in stainless steel tanks with pure yeasts, filtered extremely gently and, for the most part, bottled with
screw caps. The premium wines include the white wine Ungsteiner Herrenberg Riesling dry (6 months yeast storage), the red wine cuvée DUCA XI (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Mitos - up to 30 months barrique) and the red wine Cabernet Sauvignon dry (barrique). Around 140,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. Exports have so far been made to the Netherlands and Denmark.
