Heymann-Löwenstein

Heymann-Löwenstein - original Moselle viticulture

The Heymann-Löwenstein winery is located in the town of Winningen on the Moselle. Although it was only founded in 1980, the family history of the Löwensteins as winegrowers goes back to 1520. Reinhard Löwenstein and Cornelia Heymann-Löwenstein were the 13th generation to run the estate, and have since passed it on to the 14th in the form of their daughter Sarah.

Typical for the Mosel region is the cultivation on steep slopes along the river valley. In the past, this type of cultivation was almost the only type, but in the meantime, the percentage of steep slopes in Germany has decreased to just 0.5%. For the Löwensteins, however, their "swallow's nests clinging to the slope" are the bulk and fundamental basis of their wines, as they have a soil structure all their own. The family is fully aware of the responsibility they have inherited here and that it is important to preserve it.

According to some estimates, today the planting of one hectare of terraced vineyards, as they are on the Mosel, would cost about 1.5 million euros - which is not affordable with the yield. So they are working diligently to preserve them. In doing so, they serve the small niche of culture wines, which has experienced a revival in the past few years amid industrialization and lifestyle wine design.

The terroir and the Riesling of Heymann-Löwenstein

Typical for the terraces are the slate soils, which give the Mosel wines their special character. The soils were formed during the collision of the continent Gondwana and the "Old Red" about 325 million years ago. Over a long period of time, the animals living in the collision area were "baked" into the slate, which can still be found today in the form of fossils. On the terraces grows mainly the Riesling - the Mosel wine variety par excellence. It probably originates from the Rhine valley and is robust as far as cold climates are concerned. Moreover, it is wonderful at conveying its terroir, on which it grows, in terms of taste. That's why Heymann-Löwenstein almost never mentions the grape variety on their labels, because the terroir is more important for the taste of the wine than a grape variety. Thus, there is no typical Riesling with them, but only typical site wines.

The vines are grown in horizontal rows on the wire frame, which has several advantages:

• Distribution of new shoots on the frame
• better protection against botrytis
• Protection against petrol taint due to shading of the higher vine row (combined with close planting density)

Studies in the cellar of Heymann-Löwenstein

In the cellar, Heymann-Löwenstein relies on spontaneous fermentation using naturally occurring yeasts. Likewise, no sulphur is added so as not to destroy the natural fauna of the grape. A strict selection is necessary to sort out the part that is not supposed to be in the wine. In most industrially produced wines, the saccaramyces cerevesiae variety prevails after some time, even without the addition of yeast, as it is one of the most robust yeasts of all, although it is somewhat inferior to its cousins in terms of taste.

However, in an investigation by the University of Mainz at the winery, it was found that the wines of Heymann-Löwenstein have a variety of different yeasts, which also contributes to their special character. The settled yeast from the fermentation is further used in the winery for distillation due to the high wine content.

If you are looking for an original Mosel wine, which has its very own character to offer, you are exactly right with Heymann-Löwenstein!