2022 Weingut Pfeffingen Gewurztraminer Spätlese Ungstein

Weingut Pfeffingen Fuhrmann-Eymael, as the company is called in full, is located near Bad Dürkheim, in the heart of the Palatinate. The Pfeffingen resort has a very rich wine history that goes back to 500-600 BC. The Pfeffingen winery was founded in 1622. Dating from that time is the original family coat of arms that still adorns the wine label to this day. The company came into the hands of Karl Fuhrmann from 1952, who took over the company from his father-in-law. Under his leadership, the company grew into the best wine estates in the Palatinate. From 1991, daughter Doris Eymael and her son, Jan Eymael, run the winery.

Scheurebe specialty

The most important grape variety remains Riesling, which accounts for more than half of the plantings. Other white grape varieties are: Weißburgunder, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay. In addition to white wine, powerful red wines are also produced from the Spätburgunder. The pride of the winery are the beautiful, pure noble sweet wines based on the white grape Scheurebe. These are unmistakably counted among the best noble sweet wines from Germany.

Location vineyards

The vineyards are located on the west side of the winery. The remaining vineyard property is located around the winery in a warmer, flatter area. In total it covers 13 hectares. The top vineyards include the Ungsteiner Herrenberg and the Ungsteiner Weilberg, where the soil consists of lime, marl and loess.

Grand Cru vineyard

The Ungsteiner Weilberg is also popularly referred to as “Rot Erde”/Terra Rossa/red clay because of its striking red colour. This vineyard dates back to Roman times. It is classified as “Grosses Gewächs” (Grand Cru Vineyard) and produces luscious, long-lasting wines with a piquant taste. Tends to tropical fruit in warmer years. The Ungsteiner Herrenberg also carries the classification "Grosses Gewächs" (Grand Cru). The resulting wines have a high mineral content and are very elegant.

Grosses Gewächs criteria

The conditions to qualify for the Grosses Gewächs classification are:

The vineyard must be included in the classification established at the time in 1828 by royal decree;
Only handpicking and a yield of up to 48 hectoliters per hectare are required;
Minimum sugar content of 90 degrees Oechsle;
The harvest undergoes strict quality control, both immediately after harvest and later in the cellar;
All wines are analytically and technically inspected both before and after bottling by an independent wine committee.
In short, it is not easy to feed Grosses Gewächs!

Member VDP

Weingut Pfeffingen is a member of the VDP (Vereinigung Deutsche Prädikatsweingüter). Only the best German wine producers are eligible for membership. The number of members consists of approximately 200 members.