History
The family roots go back until 1648, to the small village of Wörrstadt in Rheinhessen. Ever since, the Louis Guntrum family has been growing grapes and making wine. The 8th generation, Louis Jean George Guntrum, built today's Estate building in 1923 - it offers a perfect and spacious environment to produce some of the finest wines from Germany, but also impresses with its stunning location directly adjacent to the Rhein river. Today, the estate is owned and managed by the 11th generation, Louis Konstantin Guntrum.
OPPENHEIMER SACKTRÄGER and OPPENHEIMER HERRENBERG, NIERSTEINER OELBERG, NIERSTEINER PETTENTHAL and NIERSTEINER HIPPING are amongst only a few vineyard names in Germany, that appeal to daily wine drinkers as connoisseurs alike. This is, where you find most of the vineyards of LOUIS GUNTRUM. At the turn of the 20th century, wines from our area were more expensive than the most expensive First Growth Bordeaux. Today, the situation has changed - you realise, what great bargains you can find, buying a First Growth Riesling from the Rhein at the price of a Bordeaux table wine.
Our cellars offer both of "two worlds" - traditional wooden barrels and modern stainless steel tanks. Thus is our philosophy in winemaking: Modern technology, where appropriate, but traditional approaches and ideas, handed over from generation to generation, for most of the grape growing and winemaking.
This combination of "new" and "old" we prove in our wines: Traditional, classic grape varities only, such as Riesling, Silvaner, Spätburgunder (Pinot nero) or Gewürztraminer. Moderate pruning of the vines to ensure long-term production of high quality wines generation after generation; use of fertilizers only upon natural needs, based on strict analysis of the soil; selective hand picking of the grapes to obtain the most suitable grape for each wine.
The transformation from grapes to grape juice to wine follows the well-tried rules of European winemaking traditions: Time rather than mechanical equipment, Nature rather than technology and chemistry. We aim at improving and refining the most precious gift of nature - the grape. Every single grape we want to turn into a unique, special type of wine, that reflects perfectly the typicity of the soil as well as the vintage. To your good health - salute!