Von Winning

Our Story

The Historic Pfalz Estate Reborn as von Winning

Weingut von Winning traces its roots back to 1849, when the estate was founded in Deidesheim in Germany’s Pfalz region. It later took its name from Leopold von Winning, a proprietor whose leadership brought the property to prominence in the early twentieth century. When entrepreneur Achim Niederberger acquired the estate in 2007, he revived that historic name and appointed a young, largely self-taught winemaker named Stephan Attmann to lead it into a new era.

Attmann brought a background in business rather than a conventional winemaking pedigree, but a deep, self-driven passion for wine. Under his direction, von Winning has become one of the most closely watched producers in the Pfalz, built on the estate’s historic vineyard holdings and a winemaking philosophy that deliberately looks back to older German traditions.

The Fuder Cask Revolution in the Pfalz

Where most Pfalz Riesling is fermented in stainless steel, von Winning does the opposite. Every Riesling is fermented and aged in large oak casks known as fuder, a method that was standard practice in Germany before the shift to stainless steel decades ago. Attmann’s revival of the technique was considered unconventional when he introduced it, but it has since become the estate’s defining signature, building texture, depth, and a saltiness in the wines that has drawn comparisons to white Burgundy.

The vineyards are farmed close to nature, without herbicides or synthetic fertilisers, with pruning and harvesting timed to lunar cycles. The wines are made with minimal intervention: no fining, no filtration, and no use of pumps, allowing each site’s character to come through as directly as possible in the glass.

Grosses Gewächs from Forst’s Most Celebrated Vineyards

Von Winning is a member of the VDP, the association representing Germany’s finest wine estates, and holds Grosses Gewächs classification, Germany’s equivalent of Grand Cru, across several of the Pfalz’s most storied vineyard sites. These include Kirchenstück, Jesuitengarten, and Pechstein in the village of Forst, alongside further holdings in Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg. Riesling dominates the estate’s plantings, though small quantities of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir are also produced.

Von Winning wines are available at Great Little Vineyards at Orakei Bay Village in Remuera, Auckland, and online for delivery across New Zealand. Visit the Von Winning website to learn more about the estate and current releases.

What the Critics Say

Von Winning’s Grosses Gewächs Rieslings are regularly among the most highly rated wines to come out of the Pfalz. James Suckling awarded the Jesuitengarten Riesling Grosses Gewächs 95 points, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has rated the same vineyard in the mid-to-high 90s, describing it as complex, refined, and built with genuine ageing potential.

Terry Theise, one of the most respected voices in German wine importing, has singled out the estate’s Kirchenstück and Pechstein bottlings as among the most distinctive dry Rieslings being made anywhere in Germany today.

Our Wines