Weingut von Winning

The estate's roots stretch back to 1849 when Friedrich Deinhard (of the Koblenz Deinhard Sekt house) acquired vineyards in Deidesheim and Forst, building one of the great 19th-century Pfalz commercial estates. Leopold von Winning later married into the family and lent his name to the property's modern revival. After the original Deinhard family ownership ended, the estate passed through Wegeler hands as Wegeler-Deinhard, declining in prominence through the late 20th century. In 2007 the Niederberger family acquired the property as part of their consolidation of the historic Deidesheim estates and relaunched it as Weingut von Winning, with Stephan Attmann installed as winemaker.

• Roots in Deidesheim go back to 1849 with the Deinhard family acquisition
• Leopold von Winning was a 19th-century proprietor whose name was revived for the 2007 relaunch
• Estate operated as Wegeler-Deinhard for much of the 20th century before declining in prominence
• Niederberger family acquired and relaunched the estate as von Winning in 2007

Von Winning farms approximately 42 hectares concentrated in the Mittelhaardt heartland. The estate is one of the very few proprietors with VDP.Grosse Lage holdings in all four of Forst's flagship vineyards — Kirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, Pechstein, and Ungeheuer — making the lineup uniquely positioned to express the full spectrum of Forst basalt and weathered sandstone terroir. Beyond Forst, Grosse Lage holdings include Deidesheimer Kalkofen, Deidesheimer Mäushöhle, Deidesheimer Langenmorgen, Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad, and Königsbacher Idig (shared with A. Christmann). Soils range from black basalt in Pechstein to weathered Buntsandstein in Kirchenstück and limestone in Kalkofen.

• Approximately 42 hectares across Deidesheim, Forst, Ruppertsberg, Königsbach
• All four Forst Grosse Lage flagships: Kirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, Pechstein, Ungeheuer
• Deidesheim Grosse Lage: Kalkofen, Mäushöhle, Langenmorgen; Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad
• Soils span basalt, weathered sandstone, limestone, and gravelly loam

Stephan Attmann's defining choice has been to ferment and age dry Riesling in large old oak fuder rather than stainless steel, a deliberate return to the cellar practice of pre-1960s German Riesling and a sharp break from the stainless-steel orthodoxy that dominated the German cellar for decades. Wines ferment spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, often very slowly, and rest on full lees for many months. The result is a recognizably oxidative, textural, food-friendly style that some critics initially compared to white Burgundy and that quickly built an international following. The approach has been adapted across the Riesling range, with Erste Lage and GG wines all aged in fuder.

• Spontaneous fermentation in large old oak fuder rather than stainless steel for dry Riesling
• Slow fermentations and extended lees aging produce a textural, oxidatively complex style
• Approach is a deliberate return to pre-1960s German cellar practice
• Critics initially compared the wines to white Burgundy; built a strong international following

Beyond the dry Riesling lineup, von Winning produces Sauvignon Blanc (a rarity at this level in the Pfalz), Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, and Spätburgunder, all aged in oak in keeping with the house philosophy. The Riesling hierarchy runs from estate Riesling Win Win through Ortswein Deidesheim, Forst, and Ruppertsberg, Erste Lage parcels including the celebrated Win Win-style Riesling 500 (named for the 500-liter fuder), and Grosses Gewächs from Kirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, Pechstein, Ungeheuer, Kalkofen, Mäushöhle, and Langenmorgen. The Sauvignon Blanc 500 has become a signature wine in its own right.

• Dry Riesling hierarchy from estate Win Win through Ortswein and Erste Lage to Grosses Gewächs
• GG flagships: Forster Kirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, Pechstein, Ungeheuer; Deidesheimer Kalkofen, Mäushöhle, Langenmorgen
• Sauvignon Blanc 500 (fuder-aged) is a signature wine; rare at this level in the Pfalz
• Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, and Spätburgunder complete the range, all oak-aged

Von Winning, Reichsrat von Buhl, and Bassermann-Jordan are all owned by the Niederberger family, making them the dominant ownership group of the historic Mittelhaardt and the inheritors of the 'Three Bs' tradition. Yet each estate is operated independently with its own winemaker and house style, and the contrast between von Buhl's leaner taut Riesling and von Winning's broader fuder-driven style demonstrates how much room there still is for stylistic expression even within neighboring vineyards. Stephan Attmann's leadership has made von Winning one of the most internationally discussed Pfalz estates of the modern era.

• Owned by the Niederberger family alongside Reichsrat von Buhl and Bassermann-Jordan
• Together the three estates form the dominant ownership group of the historic Mittelhaardt
• Each estate operates independently with its own winemaker and house style
• Von Winning's fuder-driven Riesling contrasts sharply with von Buhl's leaner, taut style