Weingut Wageck

The history of Weingut Wageck is linked to the figure of Wilhelm Wageck, who was born in 1900 and who, accompanied by his wife Luise, started a wine-related enterprise as early as 1924 in Bissersheim, the village where the family had been rooted for centuries. Viticulture was certainly not the main activity and, especially in lean periods, at least double work was necessary. The present winery was founded in 1973, when Gunter Pfaffmann joined the family through marriage, giving rise to the Wageck-Pfaffmann label: his sons, Franck and Thomas, joined the company after graduating from the University of Geisenheim and today represent the fifth generation.

Weingut Wageck is still headquartered in the small village of Bissersheim, within the Palatinate wine region, that rectangle enclosed between wooded hills to the west and the Rhine River to the east, while the southern side borders the Alsace region of France. The property covers an area of 58 hectares planted with vines, divided into numerous parcels and located on the areal of several municipalities: the Goldberg, Held, Orlenberg and Steig vineyards are located in Bissersheim; Steinacker is in the village of Kirchheim; and Großkarlbach is the municipality of Burgweg and Osterberg. The soils are characterized by mixtures of sand, marl and clay, and cover in varying thicknesses a limestone basement: they grow at an elevation of less than 200 meters and with a south-facing exposure. A multitude of varieties are grown in a surprisingly mild climate, including several disease-resistant grape varieties: Dornfelder, Cabernet Dorsa, Cabernet Dorio, Cabernet Mitos, Cabernet Cubin, Dunkelfelder, and Lemberger are examples of new red grape crosses made in the 1970s. They are flanked by more traditional varieties: Pinot Noir certainly, Blauer Portugieser, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, while the white berry, constituting 60 percent of the vineyard, is represented mainly by Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Blanc, Sauvignon, Müller-Thurgau, Silvaner, Kerner. Management is based on an environmentally friendly approach, avoiding use of pesticides and treated only with organic sprays, using organic compost for fertilization. Harvesting is done by hand, with sorting of the bunches in the vineyard and low yields.

Weingut Wageck's vinifications do not follow a rigid pattern but, given the amount of variables, are adapted from time to time to varietal and provenance, as well as to vintage trends. Fermentations are generally spontaneous, and wood is used for ageing: demi-muid, tonneaux and barriques.