Weingut Gunderloch is a German

wine grower A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to deter ...

and producer based in Nackenheim in the

Rheinhessen wine region Rheinhessen (in English often Rhine-Hesse or Rhenish Hesse) is the largest of 13 German wine regions (''Weinanbaugebiete'') for quality wines (''QbA'' and ''Prädikatswein'') with under cultivation in 2018. Named for the traditional region of Rhe ...

History

The Gunderloch estate was created by a banker hailing from Mainz in 1890 during the German Gründerzeit. Carl Gunderloch, originating from Gundersheim, acquired the Dalheimer Hof from the secularised property of the

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

abbey of Dalheim near Mainz, as well as some outstanding vineyards like the “Nackenheimer Rothenberg” in the “Roter Hang” (Red slope). Following his capital investment he became a

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of a new quality oriented viticulture on the Rhinefront. After his death, his winery was divided between his two daughters. The current owner is Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger, the fifth generation in the winery. There are three children of the sixth generation: Stefanie married the Austrian winemaker Alwin Jurtschitsch and is now cellar master at that estate in Kamptal, Austrial. Johannes Hasselbach became the winemaker at Gunderloch upon the death of his father Fritz in 2016. The name of the estate owner Gunderloch had become known since 1925 by the comedy written by Carl Zuckmayer. The fashion of the comedy did not amuse Gunderloch and all the other Nackenheim wine producers, because they had been described as petty bourgeois. In the course of the 1970s the

Geisenheimer The Vereinigung Ehemaliger Geisenheimer (''VEG''), since 2002 also known as Geisenheim Alumni Association, is one of the oldest and largest alumni networks in Germany. It was founded in 1894 at the former ''Royal Prussian Academy for orchards and ...

Fritz Hasselbach saw the importance of the international printed wine media as a marketing instrument for estates and their top vineyards. In 1979 Agnes and Fritz Hasselbach decided to invest in their winery and to quit their jobs as a teacher in a private school and in the former Landeslehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Wein- und Gartenbau (“federal experimental station for viticulture and horticulture”) in Oppenheim, today: . During the years, important networks to leading wine critics like

Stuart Pigott Stuart Pigott (born 26 May 1960 in Orpington, Kent) is a British wine critic and author who has lived in Berlin since 1993. Pigott mostly writes in German, and focuses on German wine. He writes for the specialist magazines ''Feinschmecker'' an ...

were established and maintained. Johannes Hasselbach took over the responsibility for the estate. He is heading the Rheinhessen regional association of the VDP since December 2019. Regine Usinger, (born 1958), married Usinger-Frank, was

German wine queen The German Wine Queen (german: Deutsche Weinkönigin) is the representative of the German wine industry. The Wine Queen is supported by two princesses, forming together the German Wine Ambassadors. She is elected, usually in the Palatine town ...

during 1980/1981. The estate is exporting its wine to 34 countries.

Vineyards and wine

Gunderloch works with 14 hectares vineyards, including vines in Niersteiner Pettental and

Hipping Hipping is a vineyard of the red slope in the municipality Nierstein in Germany. Located at the Rhenish Hessian Rhineterrace (Rhineland-Palatinate), wines of this vineyard can be marketed as "Großes Gewächs" or "Erste Lage", provided that ot ...

. These are selected sites, capable to produce ″ Grosses Gewächs″, top-level dry wines. The leading grape variety cultivated is Riesling with 80%. 6% burgundy and 5% Silvaner are notable as well. The remaining percentages split in specialties. An average yield of 55 hl/ha is achieved.

References

External links

Official website
{{portal bar, Wine Gunderloch