[Translate to Englisch:] JOHANN FITZ

VDP.WEINGUT
FITZ-RITTER

“OUR WINES SHOULD FIRST AND FOREMOST BE FUN AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE DRINKING.”

JOHANN FITZ SPEAKS ABOUT HIS WINES AND WINE ESTATE IN BAD DÜRKHEIM

Fitz-Ritter

Weinstraße Nord 51
67098 Bad Dürkheim a.d.W.

Phone+49 (0)6322/5389
Fax+49 (0)6322/66005
eMailinfo@fitz-ritter.de
Office Hours
Mo-Fr 9.00-18.00; Sa und So 11.00-17.00
Owner

Johann Fitz

Cellarmaster

Jochen Goebel

Wine Area

24,70 acres

Grape Variety

65% Riesling, 10% Pinot Blanc, 8% Spätburgunder, 5% Grauburgunder, 5% Chardonnay

Geology

Muschelkalk, sandiger Lehm

Growing Areas

Pfalz

Features
Accommodation, Wine tavern / estate bar, Wine tasting, Guided tours of the company / cellar, Event location, E-charging station
Sparkling Wine / Sekt
Sekterzeuger, VDP.SEKT, VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE
Memberships
  • Wine in Moderation
Eco Certifications
  • EU-Bio-Zertifizierung

VDP: What is so special about your winery?

Johann Fitz: Our family has been producing wine for nine generations and established the first sparkling wine cellar in Rhineland-Palatinate. More than 100 years ago we were co-founders of the VDP. We cultivate and appreciate our family tradition, yet at the same time, we implement the latest oenological findings and cultivate a sustainable, ecological method of cultivation. Our manor house and its adjoining park are listed as a historical monument and was awarded the title of ‘most beautiful garden on the German Wine Route’. In addition to a 400-year-old oak tree, the estate park also houses the largest ginkgo tree in Germany. The historic wine cellar dating 1785 houses our wine treasure archive, sparkling wine museum and wooden barrel cellar. It is open to visitors seven days a week.

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

Johann Fitz: We focus on the unique origins and attributes of our wines. Mittelhaardt has a protected microclimate and offers sites with fantastic potential. We preserve the individual character of each wine through sustainable, ecological cultivation methods, an extremely high level of manual labour and uncompromising care in the vineyard.

VDP: For what wine style do you strive?

Johann Fitz: No matter whether a VDP.GUTSWEIN or a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® – our wines should first and foremost provide enjoyment and inspire you to take another sip. Under no circumstances should they be tiring. Complex and spicy, crisp and mineral, creamy and earthy – our wines can be so different depending on where the grapes grown. Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Chardonnay produce a distinctive wine style on calcareous loam soils. But my favourite always was and remains Riesling. No other grape variety succeeds as well as Riesling in expressing the unique attributes of the vineyard, the geology and the microclimate.

“MY GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO FIND MY OWN WAY AND COMMIT TO IT, NOT TO FOLLOW THE BEATEN PATH.”

VDP: Which of your wines would you recommend to someone who does not yet know your winery – as an introduction, so to speak?

Johann Fitz: Our ‘everyday’ wine is the VDP.GUTSWEIN Riesling, dry. When you know that you can rely on the foundation, you build on it with success and pleasure.

VDP: Of which wine are you particularly proud?

Johann Fitz: Of our 2015 GROSSES GEWÄCHS ® HERRENBERG Riesling GG – Winner of ‘Best Dry German Riesling’ at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 in London.

HERRENBERG
Riesling GG
VDP.GROSSE LAGE®