Weingut Ernst Bretz, Rheinhessen, Germany

WINE FAMILY 'WEINGUT ERNST BRETZ'

A visit to the Ernst Bretz winery is a special experience . The close family bond is striking and the history of the winery is colorful.

Horst Bretz (left in the photo) is the cellar master and oversees the marketing. His brother Harald (right in the photo) manages the vineyards. Father Ernst is still working in the company. His experience is of great value. Heike Bretz, Horst's wife, is responsible for sales and administration. The question now is whether the next generation, sons Sebastian and Valentin and daughter Victoria, will continue the family tradition and later succeed their parents. In any case, the Bretz family is doing everything it can to involve the entire family in the family winery. Perhaps an arrogant comparison, but the fact that the Bretz family can look back on 300 years of wine tradition remains special. The winery is now under the management of the ninth generation .

THE LAMB OF MAINZ

An old relief is carved into the stone of one of the walls of the house. It is a lamb, the hallmark of the Welsch , a nunnery in Mainz, which dates back to the period when the ancestors grew wine for the monastery of Mainz. The symbol refers to the origins of the 300-year-old winery, founded in 1721. It is interesting to know that Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his Brandenburg Concerto in this illustrious year. The construction of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna also began in this year.

BECHTOLSHEIM KLOSTERBERG

Immediately behind the village of Bechtolsheim lies the famous Petersberg, also known as Klosterberg . Despite its modest height of 264 metres, it can be seen from far away. Higher up on the Petersberg lie the vineyards of the Bretz family. Here the old vines are deeply rooted in the fertile soil of loess and chalky loam . The steep slopes are labour-intensive to cultivate. Together with a low yield, this contributes to the quality of the wines. The older vines give an even lower yield and produce wines with a lot of concentration. The sheltered location also contributes to the optimal ripening of the grapes. In late summer, the leaves are pruned, so that the grapes can better absorb the sunlight.

DORNFELDER ON THE RISE

Weingut Bretz produces a wide range of wines. In our assortment you will find mainly the aromatic types, including: Silvaner, Scheurebe, Dornfelder and Spätburgunder . The Dornfelder from Weingut Bretz is a good example of red German quality wine on the rise . What consumer expects such tasty and pleasant red wines from Germany? A pleasant surprise for a very affordable price.

IN THE TOP 100

For the quality of this wine they were awarded the ' Bundesehrenpreis ' by the Ministry of Agriculture in October 2009. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 they also received the ' Staatsehrenpreis ' for this, awarded by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Rhineland-Palatinate. Weingut Bretz is listed in the top 100 of the DLG Weinguide 2009 as " best wine producer ." During the Green Week 2010 in Berlin they received the award for " Best wine producer for the Regent grape ". They received a similar award from the Ministry of Agriculture.