DR. BERND PRIOR & NORBERT BREIER

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne
Oppenheim (VDP)

“OUR MONOPOLE VINEYARD GLÖCK IN NIERSTEIN WAS HONOURED BY THE GERMAN WINE INSTITUTE AS A HIGHLIGHT OF WINE CULTURE.”

DR. BERND PRIOR (DIRECTOR), NORBERT BREIER (OENOLOGIST) AND BERND WECHSLER (MARKETING) SPEAK ABOUT THEIR WINES AND THE STAATLICHE WEINBAUDÖMÄNE OPPENHEIM

Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Oppenheim

Wormser Straße 162
55276 Oppenheim

Phone+49 (0)6133/930305
Fax+49 (0)6133/930323
eMailinfo@domaene-oppenheim.de
Office Hours
Mo-Fr 9:00-12:00 und 13:00-16:00; Do bis 18:00 Uhr; Samstags nach Vereinbarung
Owner

Land Rheinland-Pfalz - Dr. Bernd Prior

Direktor: Dr. Bernd Prior
Cellarmaster

Thorsten Eller

Member Since

1926

Wine Area

24,00 acres

Grape Variety

50% Riesling, je 10% Silvaner & Spätburgunder sowie St. Laurent, Weiss- & Grauburgunder

Geology

Kalk-Mergel mit Lehmanteil, Lössböden, roter Tonschiefer mit Lehm-Löss-Kegel

Growing Areas

Rheinhessen

Sparkling Wine / Sekt
Sekterzeuger, VDP.SEKT.PRESTIGE
Memberships
  • Wine in Moderation

VDP:What is so special about your winery?

The team: It is the state college and experimental operation. This is where viticulturists and oenologist are trained and innovations tested and communicated to the industry. We are the outsourced research and development department of the Rheinhessen wine industry.

The domain building with its Zollinger timber roof, beautiful courtyard and garden is protected as a historic monument. Large domain hall for events with vinotheque.

The monopole vineyard Glöck Nierstein. It has been honoured by the German Wine Institute (DWI) as a highlight of wine culture.

VDP:What is your winery philosophy?

Domäne Oppenheim: The motto of the wine-growing domain stems from its founder, Ernst Ludwig zu Hessen und bei Rhein: Have reverence for the old, but have the courage to freshly dare the new.

 

VDP:For which wine style do you strive?

Domäne Oppenheim: Wine is made in the vineyard! We want to make the terroir of the extraordinary top vineyard sites along the Rhine, from Dienheim to Bodenheim, tasteable and distinguishable. The white wines should captivate with a balanced ratio of body, complexity and concentration on the one hand, and fresh, typical varietal fruit typical on the other. Our favourite grape variety is, of course, Riesling.

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

Domäne Oppenheim: The VDP.GUTSWEIN category is a superb introduction, but those who really want to get to know the winery should try the Riesling terroir line (Rotliegend, Kalkmergel and Löss) from the VDP.ORTSWEIN category. There are few wineries that can give such an overview of the most important terroirs of Rheinhessen.

 

VDP:Of which wine are you particularly proud?

Domäne Oppenheim: Of our Glöck wines from our monopole vineyard.

GLÖCK
Riesling GG
VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®

VDP:Why did you become a vintner?

Domäne Oppenheim: There are many motivations and passions in the domain team. This is where very different people come together, but they have one thing in common: an enthusiasm for wine.

 

VDP:Do you have role models?

Domäne Oppenheim: The role models of the employees are as diverse as the people themselves and range from Erwein Graf Matuschka-Greiffenclau to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot.

“WE WANT TO AND MUST ACCEPT THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE; THAT IS OUR TEACHING AND TESTING MISSION!”

VDP:What are your next goals?

Domäne Oppenheim: We have achieved our 3rd grape bunch in the Gault Millau guide. Now the motto is: if you stop getting better, you stop being good. And we want to and must accept the challenges of climate change; that is our teaching and testing mission!

 

VDP:How do you combine tradition and innovation?

Domäne Oppenheim: As a state college and research operation, we are always at the cutting edge of quality-enhancing innovations with our test cellar. With our VDP wines, however, we rely on the potential of the vineyard and traditional, gentle processing in the cellar. We are of the opinion that tradition can also become the innovation of today.

© 2022
Photos: Peter Bender