Rheinhessen, Germany

Weingut Engel

The Engel family runs the estate in Flörsheim-Dalsheim in southern Rheinhessen. Spontaneous fermentation, long skin contact, often unfiltered.

Weingut Engel sits in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, at the southern edge of the Rheinhessen sub-region Wonnegau.

The family

The estate is run by the family together. Udo Engel is the Winzermeister, Ulrike Wechsler-Engel is part of the operation, and his sons Albrecht and Clemens are both trained in viticulture and oenology. Albrecht served apprenticeships at Wittmann, Gutzler and Christmann, three of the best-known houses in Rheinhessen.

The vineyards

They farm around 11 hectares, across parcels in Frauenberg and Goldberg in Nieder-Flörsheim, Bürgel, Hubacker and Sauloch in Dalsheim, and Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott in Mölsheim.

Frauenberg is classified VDP.GROSSE LAGE and has been farmed long enough to be recorded by name in 1290. The soil is loess, marl and limestone with stony clay loam.

Sauloch in Dalsheim faces south-east between 150 and 192 metres above sea level, and carries two soil types side by side: deep, light loam where the loess dominates, and shallow, stony calcareous ground where the limestone does.

This is what defines the Wonnegau geologically: beneath a flat layer of loess lies solid limestone, in places mixed with clay and marl. The lime holds water and keeps the root zone cool.

In the cellar

The working principle is “so wenig Einflussnahme wie nötig”, as little intervention as necessary.

Grapes are hand-picked, fermentations run on native yeasts, several wines see long maceration, and they age in stainless steel, large casks or barriques before bottling.

We import Engel because they cover a wider range than most: Riesling and Chardonnay from limestone, Viognier, and two reds from Spätburgunder and Schwarzriesling. All from the same family, in the same village.