Germany · Rheingau

Weingut Familie Allendorf

A Rheingau family estate whose dry Riesling range moves from estate wine to Winkel and Hasensprung, with structured Pinot Noir alongside.

The producer

Based in Oestrich-Winkel, Weingut Familie Allendorf works vineyards around Winkel, Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen. Riesling makes up 75% of its planting, and the labels narrow from dry estate Riesling to Winkeler Riesling and the single-vineyard Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling GG. Spätburgunder supplies a substantial red-wine branch in Quercus Pinot Noir trocken.

Winkeler Riesling trocken uses spontaneous fermentation, several vessel types and lees maturation, bringing citrus fruit and dry acidity together with a broader middle palate. Hasensprung GG takes a fuller route through maceration, large-cask ageing and two years on full lees; Quercus Pinot Noir uses long maceration and new oak for cherry fruit, spice, savoury oak and firmer tannin.

Known for

Dry Rheingau Riesling, from estate bottlings to Winkeler Hasensprung GG, plus oak-aged Pinot Noir.

Notable facts

The story

The 1.5-Hectare Takeover

In 1955, Fritz Allendorf took over the family estate with 1.5 hectares. The family had been rooted in the Rheingau since the 13th century, and Philipp Anton Allendorf had laid the foundation for the present estate in 1773, but Fritz began with a very small holding. He started the expansion that created the current business, which now works vineyards around Winkel, Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen. The estate remains family-led: Ulrich Allendorf runs it with his sister Christine Schönleber, while Max and Josef Schönleber are named as cellar masters.

From the atlas

Weingut Familie Allendorf

At A Glance

The Producer

Weingut Familie Allendorf is a family estate in Oestrich-Winkel whose vineyards reach from Winkel towards Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen. Riesling accounts for three quarters of the planting, so dry white wine supplies the estate’s main line; Spätburgunder provides a substantial red-wine counterpart. Ulrich Allendorf leads the business with his sister Christine Schönleber, while Max and Josef Schönleber are named as cellar masters. Since joining the VDP in 1999, the estate has worked within its vineyard classification system, including the Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling GG.

Place

Allendorf works across several Rheingau addresses rather than treating one village as its whole world. Winkel supplies the village-labelled Riesling and the Hasensprung vineyard bottling, while Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen extend the estate’s growing territory along the Rhine. That spread matters on the label: an estate Riesling is the broadest expression, a Winkeler Riesling narrows the origin to one village, and Hasensprung names a particular vineyard within that village.

Soil And Site

The vineyards extend over roughly 70–75 hectares and run across about 30 kilometres of the Rhine valley. That physical reach is the useful site fact here: Allendorf’s wines do not come from one uniform patch of ground, so the range moves from blended estate fruit towards wines carrying the more specific Winkeler and Hasensprung names. The estate’s site hierarchy is therefore visible before the bottle is opened.

Story

The family has lived in the Rheingau since the 13th century, and Philipp Anton Allendorf laid the foundation for the present estate in 1773. Its modern scale began with a much smaller holding. When Fritz Allendorf took over in 1955, the estate had 1.5 hectares; he began the expansion that created today’s business. The result is a producer large enough to work several Rheingau locations, while keeping a range in which Riesling remains the dominant grape and named places still carry increasing weight.

Vineyards And Cellar

The cellar work becomes more extended as the Riesling range becomes more specific. Winkeler Riesling trocken undergoes spontaneous fermentation, uses more than one vessel type and spends time on lees. Yeast lees can add breadth and a creamier texture while dry Riesling acidity keeps the palate moving.

At the Hasensprung level, the handling is more muscular: maceration, maturation in large cask and two years on full lees. The estate calls this GG its “weightlifter,” an apt description for a Riesling built for body and texture rather than a quick, light profile. Quercus Pinot Noir trocken follows a different route, with long maceration and maturation involving new oak; extraction supplies tannin and oak brings spice and savoury weight to the red fruit.

Wines

The dry Riesling range begins with Riesling trocken, the estate-level bottle, and Save Water Drink Riesling dry, another current entry-level offering. These wines place fresh fruit, dry finish and Riesling acidity at the front of the estate’s range without asking the label to name a village or vineyard.

Winkeler Riesling trocken is the next step: the village name focuses the origin, while spontaneous fermentation and lees maturation bring more texture to the citrus-led Riesling fruit. Winkeler Hasensprung Riesling GG is the single-vineyard Riesling, with maceration, large-cask ageing and extended lees contact producing more body, grip and weight through the finish.

Quercus Pinot Noir trocken forms the red branch. Its long maceration and new-oak component place cherry fruit beside spice, tannin and oak-derived savoury notes. Chardonnay and Schwarzriesling are also planted, though the supplied range material centres on Riesling and this Pinot Noir.

In The Glass

Across the dry Rieslings, citrus fruit and acidity establish the opening shape: fresh rather than sweet, with a dry finish. The estate wines keep the line direct. In Winkeler Riesling, spontaneous fermentation and lees time add texture through the middle of the palate, so acidity is joined by more weight.

Hasensprung turns that same grape towards a fuller frame. Skin contact, large cask and two years on lees add grip and body, leaving a longer, more substantial finish. Quercus Pinot Noir changes the register: red fruit meets spice, oak and tannin, with the long maceration making the palate firmer than the Riesling wines.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Winkeler Riesling trocken. It sits between the straightforward estate Rieslings and the more demanding Hasensprung GG, so it shows both the importance of Winkel on the label and the estate’s cellar approach. Spontaneous fermentation, mixed vessels and lees maturation give dry Riesling citrus fruit a broader texture, while acidity keeps the finish clean. It is a useful first measure of how Allendorf moves from regional range to village detail.

Anecdote

In 2015, the family began operating the Brentanohaus restaurant. The building dates from 1751 and is associated with both Goethe and the Grimm brothers. It stands apart from the vineyards around Winkel, Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen, but it became another part of the family’s Rheingau presence: a historic house run by the same family whose estate history reaches from Philipp Anton Allendorf’s foundation in 1773 to Fritz Allendorf’s expansion after he took over 1.5 hectares in 1955.

Final Word

Allendorf is most clearly read through dry Riesling labels that become more specific as they move from estate to Winkel to Hasensprung. Begin with the village wine for citrus, acidity and lees-shaped texture; move to the GG when a fuller palate, grip and longer maturation are wanted. Pinot Noir offers the same estate a darker register of cherry fruit, tannin and oak.

Sources

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