The winery is located in the municipality of Dittelsheim-Heßloch (Wonnegau area) in the German wine-growing region of
Rheinhessen. In 1958, Werner and Elisabeth Spies began marketing bottled wine. Gradually, farming was abandoned and viticulture became the focus of life. Since 1989, the business has been run by Ingrid and Uwe Spies, who switched to classic grape varieties and a dry style of vinification. After his apprenticeship as a winemaker at the Palatinate wineries
Bassermann-Jordan and
Rings, an internship in Rust am See at
Feiler-Artinger and studies in
Geisenheim, David Spies is responsible for the development of the wines. During his training, he managed to win the Europe-wide EUROPEA professional competition.
The vineyards cover 18 hectares of vines in the single vineyards Geiersberg, Kloppberg,
Leckerberg and Pfaffenmütze (Dittelsheim-Heßloch), as well as
Brunnenhäuschen (Westhofen). Three quarters of the vineyards are planted with the white wine varieties Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Silvaner, Sauvignon Blanc, Bacchus and Müller-Thurgau, and one quarter with the red wine varieties Dornfelder, Pinot Noir, Portugieser, St. Laurent and Merlot. In the vineyard, the highest value is placed on yield reduction and individual intensive
foliage care.
The quality pyramid comprises the three lines estate wines, local wines and site wines. Some of the wines are fermented
spontaneously. They are vinified in small containers according to the vineyard. The premium wines include the Riesling Leckerberg and Silvaner Pfaffenmütze, which are made from classic grape varieties. The Scheurebe Auslese from the Brunnenhäuschen "kalk.stein.scheu" site is only produced in peak years (such as 2015). It comes from old vines and matures in "Rust style" in already occupied barriques. In years with suitable weather conditions,
noble sweet Beerenauslese and
ice wine are also produced. In addition, sparkling wines, grape juices, grape jelly, noble brandies (yeast), liqueurs and wine vinegar are also produced.