VDP.ESTATE
PHILIPP KUHN

VDP: What is so special about your winery?

Philipp Kuhn: The special thing about our winery in Laumersheim is quite simply the people who work together here and the good wine-growing conditions that we were given by nature in this beautiful area. Every wine lover is very welcome here. What could be nicer than meeting other wine connoisseurs from all over the world in our inner courtyard to taste good wine, for example rare vintage specialities, older vintages or rare grape varieties such as Viognier and Sangiovese. 

Also worth seeing are the many, smaller storage cellars at the winery, which are filled with hundreds of small oak barrels. These many small wooden barrels require quite a lot of work and are often the reason for busy activity at the estate. Our guests often experience our work live!

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

Philipp Kuhn: I stand by Heraclitus, “nothing is more constant than change”. Apart from the fundamentally high and ethically valuable quality standards that should be the prerequisite for every very good winegrower, there is no militant “wine religion” or philosophy carved in stone for me. …except: “love life and enjoy it with good wine”.

VDP: For what wine style do you strive?

Philipp Kuhn: We interpret a Francophile, fully fermented, dry wine style for all grape varieties. Only in exceptional years do we produce a miniature quantity of noble sweet wine.

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

Philipp Kuhn: These are clearly the VDP.GUTSWEIN wines from the two leading varieties in our winery: Pinot Noir and Riesling.

VDP: Of which wine are you particularly proud?

Philipp Kuhn: Our vineyard portfolio spans the best and most charismatic vineyards of the northern Pfalz. It’s difficult to highlight one particular wine. The VDP.GROSSE LAGE^® KIRSCHGARTEN in Laumersheim, one of the few vineyards in the Pfalz that is classified as a VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS^® for all three grape varieties, is ideal because you can work perfectly with it. This applies to KIRSCHGARTEN Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc as well as to Riesling from this special terroir. All three have often been at the forefront of various prestigious wine guides and competitions – in other words, the best that Germany has to offer in the dry sector. The VDP.GROSSE LAGE^® KIRSCHGARTEN was and is the cradle of all my work.

VDP: Do you have a role model?

Philipp Kuhn: Clearly my father. Already in my youth he quite openly and honestly showed me the good and the bad sides of being a winegrower. The very tough side as well as the pleasant times. “Pay your taxes; you decide the rest. Nobody interferes. You can live out your artistic inclinations from beginning to end. You just can’t be lazy!” One of the greatest experiences in my winemaking career was when my father gave me a piece of land, 2500 square meters in size, for my free use – what a gesture! He offered me permission to hack out an old, worn grape variety and plant my absolute dream grape variety. Everything in complete personal responsibility. I decided on Pinot Noir, the piece of land was in the heart of the prime vineyard KIRSCHGARTEN. It was 1988 and I was 16 years old. Four years later, I was solely responsible for all decisions at the winery. This great gesture has resulted in many great wines over the years. My father’s courage was rewarded. I am eternally grateful to him for that.

VDP: What are your next goals?

Philipp Kuhn: The next goal is always the next vintage!