Spiess Wines Image
Spiess Wines Image

Our winery

SPIESS ESTATE

Wine tradition by conviction

Our wine is grown on 32 hectares of south-facing vineyards in the warm south of Rheinhessen. The hilly landscape of Bechtheim is characterized by a striking valley basin formation - thanks to this special location, juicy, complex wines with elegant charm can develop. The unique mix of accumulated heat, fertile loess loam soil and limestone subsoil offers ideal conditions for the growth of high-quality grapes. In order to preserve as much character, expressiveness and above all drinking pleasure as possible in our wines, we rely on reduced yields, consistent grape selection and sustainable cultivation. For us, great wines are created in the vineyard. This means that we then have to intervene as little as possible in the winemaking process.

Our team

Spiess Wines Team Image
Johannes
winemaker

I'm Johannes, born in 1986 and the older of us brothers. After a formative apprenticeship with Klaus-Peter Keller and the Knipser family, I studied viticulture and oenology in Geisenheim. I have been responsible for the cellar of our winery since 2011.

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Christian
vineyard manager

I'm Christian, born in 1990. Ever since I was little, I wanted to learn the trade of winemaker and I can still mostly be found in our vineyards today. I completed my apprenticeship at Weingut Philipp Kuhn and at Wagner-Stempel.

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Sina
sales, export & marketing

My name is Sina and I am responsible for our office and especially the export sales. I met my husband Christian during my apprenticeship as a winemaker and then studied in Geisenheim. I have been working in the winery since 2016.

Spiess Wines Team Image
Ute
Customer Service and Accounting

I'm Ute and the contact person for all organizational matters and usually the first to pick up the phone. Together with my husband Jürgen I built up today's winery.

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Juergen
senior boss

I'm Jürgen, you can almost always find me on a tractor, truck, forklift or other vehicle. I often have one of my grandchildren in tow with me.

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Ilse
Grandma & good soul

I'm Grandma Ilse, as a "good soul" I take on the nice things like baking cakes, watering flowers, take care of my great grandchildren and the estate.

Spiess Wines Team Image
Leo & Ludwig
The little rascals

As the youngest members of the family, we find everything that happens at the winery incredibly exciting. We keep our parents Christian and Sina and everyone else in the family busy.

Our success story

Our winery has been shaped by many generations and has established itself at the top of Rheinhessen wine producers, especially over the last 20 years. The first traces of our family business can be found as early as 1509.

1509
1877
1957
1973
1984
2004
2011
2014
Today
Spiess Success Story Picture
1509

The family is first mentioned in a document, there are indications that agriculture was already being practiced at that time. The origins of the Spiess family lie in Rheinhessen in neighboring Dalsheim.

Spiess Success Story Picture
1877

Adam II Spieß (field boy / farmer) married Eva Schmitt from Bechtheim in his second marriage and was the first "Spiess" who, in addition to farming, also cultivated wine.

Spiess Success Story Picture
1957

Helmut and Ilse Spiess get married and move from the outskirts of Bechtheim to their current location. This laid the foundation stone for the winery in Gaustrasse. In 1956, his son Jürgen was born, followed five years later by his brother Burkhard. The family runs agriculture and viticulture.

Spiess Success Story Picture
1973

After Helmut Spiess became seriously ill, his son Jürgen took over the bookkeeping at the age of just 15 – alongside school. He trained as a viticulture technician and gradually took over the management of the business. A few difficult years followed, Jürgen and his later wife Ute worked hard to keep the winery alive and to make it what it is today.

Spiess Success Story Picture
1984

In the following years, the company is vigorously promoted. Jürgen and Ute invest in good vineyard locations and the expansion of the infrastructure. The company grows and becomes more and more popular. Brother Burkhard takes over the responsibility as cellar master and the wines win their first top-class awards. New customer groups throughout the country are developed and the marketing of the wines gains in importance. In 1986 his son Johannes was born, followed in 1990 by his brother Christian. The property is expanded: new cellars are built and existing ones enlarged, further bottle storage facilities are connected.

Spiess Success Story Picture
2004

The victory at the German Red Wine Prize and the first presentation at the international trade fair "ProWine" mark a decisive milestone: the level of awareness of the winery increases by leaps and bounds, and for the first time specialist dealers and top restaurateurs also become aware of "Spiess" wines.

Spiess Success Story Picture
2011

Another year of change: With son Johannes, the next generation takes over the winery, he now independently manages the cellar and the development of the wines. He acquired his knowledge during his apprenticeship with Klaus-Peter Keller and winery Knipser as well as during his studies in viticulture and oenology in Geisenheim.

Spiess Success Story Picture
2014

After his apprenticeship at the Wagner-Stempel and Philipp Kuhn wineries, son Christian also joined the company. He takes over the management of the external operation and the responsibility for the cultivation of the vineyards.

Spiess Success Story Picture
Today

The Spiess winery will continue to be run by the family. In addition to the brothers Johannes and Christian, their parents Ute and Jürgen and grandma Ilse as well as Christian's wife Sina also work in the business. The brothers have now specialized in white Burgundy varieties, high-quality Rieslings and Pinot Noir. Together they lead the winery in a new direction and give the wines their own signature.

cellar tour

The vineyard sites and their properties
N O S W OPPENHEIM rabbit jump rose Garden Geyersberg Herrenberg Stone Holy Cross Bechtheim
Hasensprung
Spiess Wein Unser Weingut
Boden:Clay soils with sand deposits and fersiallite
Ausrichtung:south
Meerehohe:140-180m

High levels of iron and aluminum oxide lead to good aeration of the soil, but the vines have to have deep roots to get water. The term Hasensprung can come from the location's short distance to the town of Bechtheim, "a rabbit's jump away".

Rosengarten
Spiess Wein Unser Weingut
Boden:sandy loess loam soil
Ausrichtung:south
Meerehohe:140-185m

The Rosengarten was first mentioned in a document around 1500, when the then sovereign and local lord, the Count of Leiningen, maintained his horse garden there, which belonged to the farmstead in the center of the village. The higher proportion of clay in the loess loam soil and the excellent southern exposure stand for this prime location.

Geyersberg
Spiess Wein Unser Weingut
Boden:carbonate-rich loess soils with high lime content
Ausrichtung:South, sloping south-east to the Rhine Valley, 10-20% slope
Meerehohe:90-165m

This field is actually named after the vulture bird, which nested there when the mountain was still forest. As early as 1500 there was talk of Geiersbuckl in Bechtheim. The wind-protected, warm terraces of the Geyersberg offer optimal ripening conditions for our Rieslings. Power and expressiveness are exemplary attributes for the wines from the Geyersberg.

Stein
Spiess Wein Unser Weingut
Boden:Loess/Pararendzina and Loess/Kolluvisol
Ausrichtung:rotating from northwest to east to south
Meerehohe:95-150m

It is a calcareous, humus-rich loamy soil with clayey silt. The location was documented around 1500 with the name "ym Stein".

Heilig Kreuz
Spiess Wein Unser Weingut
Boden:Loess/Pararendzina
Ausrichtung:South
Meerehohe:145-175m

The location was documented around 1500 with the name "yn der robed against dem heyligen Creuz". The name of the location refers to a corridor cross. It is a calcareous, light loamy soil with clayey silt.

Herrenberg
Spiess Wein Unser Weingut
Boden:Marl/Pararendzina
Ausrichtung:South to Southeast
Meerehohe:120-200m

Above Oppenheim, starting at Landskron Castle, the individual site stretches south-southeast along the slope. In fact, the naming refers to gentlemen in the form of "rulers" and it is assumed that the noble family of the Lords of Dalberg gave the name. The Herrenberg is interspersed with limestone, a deep and barren soil. The grapes ripen very slowly here. The wines characteristically show a very pronounced minerality, are dense, long and have excellent aging potential.

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