Germany · Pfalz

Weingut Andres

A Mittelhaardt estate led by brothers Michael and Thomas Andres, working organically across sandstone and calcareous-marl parcels with Riesling and site-focused Spätburgunder at its core.

The producer

Michael and Thomas Andres took over their parents’ Pfalz winery in 2015 and now work 32 hectares along the Mittelhaardt. Their parcels run from lean Buntsandstein sandstone to richer calcareous marl; organic farming, biodynamic principles and minimal vineyard intervention keep those differences central to the grapes grown there.

Riesling and Chardonnay shape the white range, while Spätburgunder makes the estate’s varied ground easiest to follow. Vom Kalkmergel names its calcareous-marl source, Haardt draws on named vineyard origins, and Königsbach Ölberg comes from one vineyard. In the 2024 Ölberg, natural-yeast fermentation and an even split of new and used barriques bring fruit, oak spice, tannin and savoury grip into the same glass.

Known for

Organic Mittelhaardt Riesling and site-focused Spätburgunder from sandstone and calcareous-marl parcels.

Notable facts

The story

The 2015 Handover

In 2015, Michael and Thomas Andres took over their parents’ winery. The two brothers became the people representing an estate whose vineyards already stretched along the Mittelhaardt, from lean Buntsandstein to richer calcareous marl. They described the succession as an opportunity to follow their own path. The work that followed placed organic farming and biodynamic principles in the vineyards, alongside a range built around Riesling, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder. The family handover remains specific: a parents’ winery passed to two brothers in 2015, with 32 hectares of Mittelhaardt vineyards in their care.

From the atlas

Weingut Andres

At A Glance

The Producer

Weingut Andres is a family estate led by Michael and Thomas Andres, brothers who took responsibility for the winery in 2015. Their 32 hectares run along the Mittelhaardt, a stretch of Pfalz where vineyard ground shifts from lean sandstone to calcareous marl. That spread matters in the bottle: Riesling has a clear place in the white wines, while Spätburgunder gives the brothers room to show how soil and named origins affect red-wine shape.

Place

The estate works in the Mittelhaardt, the northern part of Pfalz around Deidesheim and neighbouring wine villages. Its climate is described by the winery as balanced enough for slow, even ripening, retaining freshness and acidity as grapes mature. In practical terms, that lets Riesling keep a dry, citrus-led line rather than merely accumulating ripe fruit, while Spätburgunder can ripen its tannin without needing to become heavy.

Soil And Site

Andres’ parcels cross two notably different grounds: lean Buntsandstein and richer calcareous marl. Sandstone is the leaner end of that contrast; marl carries calcium-rich clay and limestone material. The estate makes this difference legible with Spätburgunder: Vom Kalkmergel takes its name from calcareous marl, while Haardt and Königsbach Ölberg put named vineyard origins on the label. Soil is therefore not decorative background here; it is part of choosing which Pinot Noir to open.

Story

When Michael and Thomas Andres took over from their parents in 2015, they described the handover as an opportunity to follow their own path. The resulting estate is organised around broad Mittelhaardt holdings rather than a single soil or grape. Organic farming, biodynamic principles and low vineyard intervention sit beside a range that gives Riesling, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder distinct roles. The consequence is a portfolio built for comparison: white grapes on one side, and Pinot Noir bottlings that move from marl to named sites on the other.

Vineyards And Cellar

The vineyard work begins with organic farming, registered under control body DE-ÖKÖ-039, and is supplemented by biodynamic principles. The winery avoids synthetic chemical treatments and says it intervenes as little as possible in the vines. With slow, even ripening as the local aim, the intended result is fruit that can retain acidity rather than relying on late-picked weight.

In the cellar, the documented details sharpen by bottling. The 2024 Königsbach Ölberg Spätburgunder ferments with natural yeasts and ages in an even split of new and used barriques. New oak can bring spice and a firmer frame; used barrels let fruit, tannin and site speak with less overt oak flavour. The 2024 Vom Kalkmergel uses used barriques, an approach that keeps barrel influence quieter around its calcareous-marl source.

Wines

Riesling is the estate’s principal white grape, represented by Andres Riesling. Haardter Chardonnay provides a second white-wine route, bringing a broader-bodied Burgundy variety alongside Riesling’s acidity and citrus potential. Neither bottle needs to perform the same task: the contrast begins with grape, then continues through texture and fruit profile.

Spätburgunder is the more explicit site sequence. Vom Kalkmergel is varietal Pinot Noir from calcareous-marl sites. Haardt Spätburgunder draws on vineyard-specific sources, while Königsbach Ölberg is a single-vineyard wine. The three names offer different degrees of origin on the label: soil in the first, a group of vineyard sources in the second, and one named vineyard in the third. Barrique ageing adds body, tannin and oak detail to that red-wine frame without making the bottles interchangeable.

In The Glass

Start with structure before searching for flourish. Riesling’s useful markers are acidity, dry fruit and a clean finish; the Mittelhaardt growing conditions are intended to preserve that freshness through ripening. Chardonnay moves into a fuller body and rounder texture by virtue of the grape, making it a useful counterpart rather than a substitute for Riesling.

The Spätburgunders ask for attention to fruit, tannin, oak and finish. Vom Kalkmergel’s used-barrique treatment keeps the emphasis on Pinot Noir fruit and texture rather than a new-oak coating. In the 2024 Ölberg, natural-yeast fermentation and half new barrique introduce more cellar-derived spice, oak and grip around the wine’s fruit. Pour the wines with food and notice whether the palate leans toward lighter texture or more weight, and whether the finish is carried by acidity, tannin or barrel spice.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose the 2024 Königsbach Ölberg Spätburgunder. It is a single-vineyard Pfalz Pinot Noir, fermented with natural yeasts and aged half in new and half in used barriques. That makes it the most complete view of Andres’ red-wine work: a named site supplies the origin, while the barrel regime contributes oak, spice, body and tannin. Serve it with roast duck, mushrooms or pork so its fruit and savoury grip have something to work against.

Anecdote

In 2015, Michael and Thomas Andres took over their parents’ winery. The new generation was not brought in as a distant management team: the two brothers became the people representing the estate and working its Mittelhaardt vineyards. They described the succession as an opportunity to follow their own path. The winery they assumed already held parcels across contrasting ground, from lean Buntsandstein to rich calcareous marl, and the brothers’ later direction placed organic farming and biodynamic principles at the centre of that work. The family handover remains a fixed date on the label story: 2015, two brothers, their parents’ estate, and vineyards extending along the Mittelhaardt.

Final Word

Andres is worth seeking out for comparison rather than ceremony: dry Riesling beside Chardonnay, then Spätburgunder from calcareous marl, Haardt sources and Königsbach Ölberg. The labels turn Pfalz ground and cellar choices into tangible differences of acidity, fruit, tannin, oak and weight.

Sources

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