Germany · Rheinhessen

Weingut Wittmann

A Westhofen family estate making dry Riesling shaped by biodynamic farming, indigenous yeasts and wooden casks.

The producer

Weingut Wittmann is a family-operated estate in Westhofen, Rheinhessen, with family viticulture documented from 1663. Philipp Wittmann, who joined in 1990 as the fifteenth generation, manages the winery with Eva, Günter and Elisabeth Wittmann. Riesling from Aulerde, Brunnenhäuschen, Kirchspiel and Morstein is the focus, so the labels move from broad dry bottlings toward named Westhofen sites.

Low yields and selective hand harvesting feed gently pressed fruit into indigenous-yeast fermentation and ageing almost entirely in wood. The result is dry Riesling with citrus, stone fruit, chalk and spice rather than overt oak: the 2022 Vom Kalkstein has fine acidity, cool fruit, yeast, delicate grip and a mineral finish, while 100 Hills brings nectarine, honeyed notes and agile medium-bodied weight.

Known for

Dry, biodynamic Westhofen Riesling made with indigenous yeasts and wooden-cask ageing.

Notable facts

The story

A 1992 Morstein in the tasting room

In March 1993, Philipp Wittmann and his father Günter opened a bottle of their 1992 Morstein in the winery tasting room. Philipp had joined the family estate only a few years earlier, and the two men poured the Westhofen Riesling into slender Riedel glasses. As they tasted, the wine changed Philipp’s conviction about what the family’s vineyards could produce. It was not a new planting, a new cellar or a public launch, but a bottle from the previous harvest shared at the estate. Father and son worked through the wine together in Westhofen, with the 1992 Morstein and the narrow glasses on the tasting-room table.

From the atlas

Weingut Wittmann

At A Glance

The Producer

Weingut Wittmann is a family-operated estate in Westhofen whose central subject is dry Riesling. Philipp Wittmann manages it with Eva, Günter and Elisabeth; he is also the national VDP’s vice-president, while Philipp and Georg Rieser are named as cellar masters. The family’s records reach back to 1663, but the wines in front of us come from a modern programme: Riesling used to show Westhofen through bottles ranging from broad regional expressions to named-site wines.

Place

Westhofen sits in Rheinhessen, and Wittmann’s 30 hectares are reported across Aulerde, Brunnenhäuschen, Kirchspiel and Morstein. Those vineyard names matter on the label because the estate builds its dry Riesling range around differences of origin rather than around sweetness. A lighter bottle such as Estate Riesling brings citrus, herbs and lemony acidity; the Westhofen names lead toward wines with more weight, grip and site-specific detail.

Soil And Site

The available record names the four Westhofen sites but does not establish a detailed soil map for each one. Limestone is securely connected to the dry Riesling called Vom Kalkstein: its name signals calcareous material, and the 2022 wine carries chalky notes and a mineral finish. Rather than attach unsupported slope or exposure claims to Morstein, Kirchspiel, Aulerde or Brunnenhäuschen, it is more useful to follow the estate’s labels and taste how each bottling handles fruit, acidity and texture.

Story

Philipp Wittmann joined the family estate in 1990, then tested stainless steel and cultured yeasts after returning to Westhofen. He moved away from those trials when the wines no longer showed the character he sought, returning to spontaneous fermentation and large wooden casks. The consequence is audible in the range: dry Riesling fruit is not covered by obvious new oak, while lees, spice, chalk and savoury notes can sit beside citrus and stone fruit.

His work also formed part of Rheinhessen’s international quality push alongside other younger growers. That regional work later led from chairing the Rheinhessen VDP association to the national vice-presidency, but the practical commitment remains at home: low yields and ripe, selectively picked Riesling from Westhofen vineyards.

Vineyards And Cellar

The estate has held biodynamic certification since 2004. Low yields and hand harvesting in several passes allow fruit to be selected as it ripens, which supports concentration without forcing excessive alcohol; the 2022 Vom Kalkstein is 12.5%. Gentle pressing protects the juice before indigenous yeasts begin fermentation, while maturation occurs almost entirely in wooden casks in the estate’s vaulted cellar.

Wood here is a vessel rather than a flavour headline. In the documented Vom Kalkstein, the cellar approach leaves room for cool citrus and stone fruit, with yeast, nuts, yellow spice and chalk adding texture. The finish has delicate grip rather than a sweet or overtly oaky close.

Wines

The dry Riesling range begins with Estate Riesling, where the verified 2024 bottling has medium body, citrus, herbs, chalk and integrated lemony acidity. 100 Hills, also labelled 100 Hügel, remains dry but moves toward caramelised honey, crisp nectarine and deeper mineral notes; its medium body finishes agilely rather than heavily.

Vom Kalkstein is a more site-focused dry Riesling, though the evidence does not establish the vineyard composition of the 2022 release. That wine combines citrus, stone fruit, floral notes, chalk, yeast and yellow spice with fine acidity and mineral grip. Above these broader labels, the estate also bottles Riesling from Aulerde, Brunnenhäuschen, Kirchspiel and Morstein, placing named Westhofen origin at the centre of the range.

In The Glass

Across Wittmann’s dry Rieslings, start with citrus and ripe orchard fruit: lemon and herbs in Estate Riesling, nectarine in 100 Hills, then citrus and stone fruit in Vom Kalkstein. On the palate, acidity keeps the medium-bodied wines moving, while chalk, lees and mineral notes add a dry, lightly savoury texture. Vom Kalkstein is the most clearly documented sequence: cool juicy fruit, floral lift and yellow spice lead into delicate grip, pomegranate-like freshness and a mineral finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose the 2022 Vom Kalkstein Trocken Riesling. It is a dry, organic, biodynamic and vegan wine at 12.5% alcohol, made from the grape and cellar approach that define the estate. Citrus and stone fruit arrive first, then chalk, yeast, nuts and yellow spice; fine acidity keeps the palate lively, and a mineral finish carries the wine beyond the fruit. It is a useful first bottle because limestone is named on the label and the wine makes the estate’s low-yield, hand-picked Riesling and wooden-cask cellar work tangible.

Anecdote

In March 1993, Philipp Wittmann and his father Günter opened a bottle of their 1992 Morstein in the winery tasting room. Philipp had joined the estate only a few years earlier, and the two men tasted the Westhofen Riesling from slender Riedel glasses. The wine altered Philipp’s conviction about what the family’s sites could produce, but the scene itself stayed simple: father and son, a bottle from the previous harvest, and glasses chosen for the tasting. The 1992 Morstein remained on the table in the Westhofen tasting room as they worked through the wine.

Final Word

Wittmann is worth seeking out for dry Riesling that links a Westhofen name, biodynamic farming and old wooden casks to a clear glass of wine. Start with Vom Kalkstein for chalk, citrus and spice; then compare it with Estate Riesling or 100 Hills to see how the same grape changes as the label narrows its focus.

Sources

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