Germany · Rheinhessen

Weingut Julius

A third-generation Gundheim estate making dry, site-named Riesling with organically farmed vines.

The producer

Weingut Julius stands in Gundheim in southern Rheinhessen, where Georg Julius runs the family business in its third generation. The present estate grew from a farm acquired by his grandfather; the official history dates that purchase to 1928. Julius describes 21 hectares of organically farmed vineyards, with cover crops between rows and most vineyard work carried out by hand.

The clearest wine is Riesling from Bermersheimer Hasenlauf. On a dry Riesling labelled *trocken*, apple and peach fruit meet acidity, then move into nutty, mineral and savoury notes on the finish. The named site, grape and dry style make the label unusually easy to read before the cork is pulled.

Known for

Dry Riesling from the Bermersheimer Hasenlauf site, shaped by organic vineyard work in southern Rheinhessen.

Notable facts

The story

The 2007 vineyard conversion

In autumn 2007, Weingut Julius converted its vineyards to cultivation under Naturland organic-winegrowing rules. The change concerned the work in the rows: cover crops were grown between vines to create habitat for plant and animal life, while most vineyard work continued by hand. Georg Julius was carrying forward a family property that had begun as a farm and developed into a wine estate, and the conversion put a dated farming standard behind the vines used for wines such as the dry Bermersheimer Hasenlauf Riesling. The result was not a new name for the label, but a different framework for tending the vineyards.

From the atlas

Weingut Julius

At A Glance

Weingut Julius is a family-run estate in Gundheim, southern Rheinhessen, where Georg Julius works in the third generation. The clearest bottle to know is dry Riesling from Bermersheimer Hasenlauf: a named site wine with apple, peach, nutty and mineral notes. Organic farming, cover crops and substantial hand work shape the vineyards behind it.

The Producer

Georg Julius runs Weingut Julius from Gundheim with Christine Julius associated with the estate. The family history begins with a farm acquired by Georg Julius’s grandfather; the estate dates that purchase to 1928. Georg Julius developed the property into a wine estate with 21 hectares of organically farmed vines, turning a broader farm into a business whose most firmly documented wine language is dry, site-named Riesling.

Place

Gundheim sits in southern Rheinhessen, the German region on the label that places Julius within one of the country’s major wine areas. Here, Riesling from Bermersheimer Hasenlauf carries a more specific place name: Bermersheimer Hasenlauf identifies the vineyard or site attached to the wine, while trocken tells you that the finished Riesling is dry. Those two words narrow the bottle from regional origin to a particular site and style.

Soil And Site

The vineyards are rooted in loess-clay soils and work within a mild southern-Rheinhessen microclimate. Loess and clay can hold water through drier periods, while the moderate setting supports ripening; in the Hasenlauf Riesling, the result is described through ripe apple and peach alongside a nutty, mineral edge rather than through sweetness. The named site is therefore useful on the label: it directs attention to a particular Riesling expression, not a generic regional blend.

Story

The Julius family’s route into wine began with a farm, not a purpose-built winery. Georg Julius’s grandfather acquired the property, and a later generation developed it into a vineyard estate. The change is tangible in today’s 21 hectares of organically farmed vines: the farm’s agricultural base became a collection of vineyards whose work is focused on fruit for estate wine, including Riesling labelled with Bermersheimer Hasenlauf.

Vineyards And Cellar

The estate converted to cultivation under Naturland organic-winegrowing rules in autumn 2007. Cover crops grow between the vine rows, providing habitat for plant and animal life, and most vineyard work is done by hand. Those choices keep work close to each row and each vine; for a dry Riesling, they place the emphasis on clean fruit and site character before the wine reaches the bottle.

The documented 2023 Hasenlauf Riesling Trocken is also listed as vegan. That is a practical detail for the bottle rather than a flavour claim: its dry Riesling profile remains defined by fruit, acidity and the Bermersheimer Hasenlauf name on the label.

Wines

The evidence supports a focused introduction to the Julius range rather than a complete catalogue. Riesling is the central confirmed grape, with Bermersheimer Hasenlauf supplying the key named-site bottling. The 2023 Weingut Julius Hasenlauf Riesling Trocken is listed as a single-variety wine, so the variety is not hidden behind a blend: Riesling supplies the wine’s citrus-and-stone-fruit frame, while the dry finish keeps the palate firm and food-friendly.

Within that documented range, the useful distinction is between the grape and the site. “Riesling” describes the variety; “Bermersheimer Hasenlauf” identifies where this example comes from; “Trocken” signals dry wine. Apple and peach fruit soften the line of acidity, while nutty and mineral notes add savoury detail and length.

In The Glass

Bermersheimer Hasenlauf Riesling opens with apple and peach, then moves toward a nutty, mineral register. On the palate, dry fruit is carried by acidity rather than residual sugar, so the wine feels direct instead of plush. The loess-clay setting and mild climate support the ripeness behind the peach note; the dry style leaves the finish clean, with mineral and savoury detail lingering after the fruit.

This is Riesling with moderate body rather than broad weight. Its appeal lies in the sequence: orchard fruit first, acidity through the middle, then a dry finish with a faint nutty edge. Serve it chilled and use that freshness beside salt, fried food or dishes with a little richness, where acidity can keep each mouthful lively.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the 2023 Weingut Julius Hasenlauf Riesling Trocken. It is a single-variety, vegan-listed dry Riesling from the Bermersheimer Hasenlauf site, and it brings the producer’s most clearly documented elements into one bottle: Gundheim, organic vineyard work, a named site and the bright shape of Riesling. Expect apple and peach fruit, a mineral and lightly nutty note, moderate body and a dry, acidity-led finish. It comes first because the label itself teaches how Julius connects grape, site and style.

Anecdote

In autumn 2007, Weingut Julius converted its vineyards to cultivation under Naturland organic-winegrowing rules. The decision applied to the estate’s vineyard work rather than being a label-only change. Cover crops were grown between the rows to provide habitat for plant and animal life, and hand work remained central in the vines. Georg Julius was already carrying forward a family property that had grown from a farm into a wine estate; after the conversion, the vineyard rows behind the Hasenlauf Riesling were managed under the Naturland rules that the estate still names as part of its work.

Final Word

Weingut Julius offers a clear way into dry Rheinhessen Riesling: a family estate in Gundheim, a named Bermersheimer site, and fruit that moves from apple and peach to mineral, nutty dryness. The Hasenlauf label is where those details meet in the glass.

Sources

Open Weingut Julius in the interactive map →