23 editor-picked estates growing Spaetburgunder in Pfalz.
Where to taste Spaetburgunder in Pfalz: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Vinothek and English landscape garden of the 1597-founded Dr. Buerklin-Wolf estate in Wachenheim. Tastings of the Demeter-certified biodynamic Riesling range from Forst, Wachenheim, Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg sites.
Vinothek of the 1849-founded VDP estate on Deidesheim's central Weinstrasse. Tastings of Riesling from the Forst Kirchenstueck, Forst Jesuitengarten and Deidesheim Kalkofen sites alongside the estate Sekt programme.
Vinothek of the 16th-century Bassermann-Jordan estate in central Deidesheim, working sites in Forst, Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg including the Forst Kirchenstueck, Jesuitengarten and Pechstein Grosse Lage parcels.
Tasting room of the 16th-century Christmann estate in Gimmeldingen, Neustadt. Tastings of biodynamic Rieslings from the Idig, Reiterpfad and Mandelgarten Grosse Lage sites under VDP president Steffen Christmann and daughter Sophie.
Vinothek of the Knipser family estate in Laumersheim in the northern Pfalz, working 40 hectares since 1876. Riesling and Spaetburgunder alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Gelber Orleans cuvees.
Modern vinothek of the family-run organic Mehling estate in central Deidesheim, run by Kathrin Otte and Christoph Knaebel since 2014. Riesling from Deidesheim and Forst sites alongside the estate Pinot range.
Tasting room and country hotel of the Lucashof family estate in Forst, working parcels in Forst Kirchenstueck, Jesuitengarten, Ungeheuer and Pechstein. Annual Hoffest celebration on the first weekend in July.
Vinothek and cellar of the prince-bishops' Schloss Edesheim in the Suedliche Weinstrasse, set in 5 hectares of parkland and vineyards. Tastings of the estate Schloss Edesheim wines alongside Pfalz and Italian selections.
Members' wine club in the 1618 Rettinger Haus between Schloss Wachenheim and the village butcher, opened 2016. Two vaulted cellars hold 252 lockers and six tank vaults storing more than 40,000 bottles for wine collectors.
Vinothek of the Weinbiet Manufaktur cooperative in Mussbach, Neustadt, where 45 winegrowers work cooperatively across Mittelhaardt sites. Cooperative Rieslings, Sekt and Pinot wines from the Mussbach, Diedesfeld and Gimmeldingen vineyards.
Vinothek of the Kallstadt cooperative, founded 1902, in the heart of Kallstadt above Bad Duerkheim. Cooperative Rieslings from the world-famous Kallstadter Saumagen and Kobnert sites alongside the cooperative Pinot range.
Suedliche Weinstrasse family estate at Flemlingen, working precise dry Rieslings and Spaetburgunder from southern Pfalz villages including Burrweiler and Gleisweiler.
Tip: Try the Burrweiler Schaewer Riesling alongside the dry Spaetburgunder to read the southern Weinstrasse style; the estate vinothek is among the quieter VDP visits in the Pfalz.
Single-hillside Suedliche Weinstrasse family estate above Godramstein, working the Muenzberg Schlangenpfiff and Rosenkranz for dry Riesling, Weissburgunder and Spaetburgunder.
Tip: Visit the small estate vinothek to taste the Muenzberg Schlangenpfiff and the Weissburgunder side by side; the hilltop terroir reads cleanly in the Pinot Blanc.
Northern Pfalz family estate at Zellertal-Zell, with limestone Schwarzer Herrgott Riesling and Spaetburgunder under Stephan and Georg Schwedhelm.
Tip: Try the Schwarzer Herrgott Riesling alongside the Spaetburgunder to read the cool Zellertal limestone style; the estate vinothek is among the quietest in the northern Pfalz.
Bad Duerkheim VDP family estate working historic Michelsberg, Spielberg and Fronhof sites for classical Mittelhaardt dry Riesling at quieter prices.
Tip: Visit Karl Schaefer for the Duerkheimer Michelsberg and Spielberg Rieslings; the estate sits a few minutes from the Wurstmarktplatz with very calm tasting space.
Birkweiler family estate working the red-slate Kastanienbusch in the Suedliche Weinstrasse, with precise dry Riesling, Weissburgunder and Spaetburgunder.
Tip: The Birkweiler Kastanienbusch GG is the wine to find here; visit the estate to taste it next to the dry Weissburgunder for the southern Pfalz house style.
Small Schweigen-Rechtenbach family estate alongside Friedrich Becker, working cross-border Sonnenberg parcels for dry Spaetburgunder, Pinot Blanc and Riesling.
Tip: Pair a Bernhart visit with Friedrich Becker a few doors away; both farm Sonnenberg parcels on the French side, and the side-by-side tasting reads the cross-border story directly.
Forster family estate working historic basalt-soil sites including Pechstein, Jesuitengarten, Ungeheuer and Kirchenstueck for classical dry Riesling and Pinot.
Tip: Eugen Mueller's village vinothek is the cheapest way to taste basalt-soil Forster Riesling next to the more famous estates a few houses away on the same Weinstrasse.
Schweigen-Rechtenbach VDP family estate alongside Friedrich Becker, working cross-border Sonnenberg parcels for dry Spaetburgunder, Pinot Blanc and Riesling.
Tip: Try the Juelg Sonnenberg Spaetburgunder and the dry Weissburgunder side by side to read the cross-border Schweigen style outside the Becker price bracket.
Kallstadt family estate outside the VDP, working the limestone Saumagen for hands-off oxidative dry Riesling and a rare 100 percent Spaetburgunder Saumagen.
Tip: The white and red Saumagen are the cult bottles; visit the small estate cellar to taste both sides of the Kallstadter limestone bowl in a single sitting.
Small VDP family estate at Pfeffingen on the edge of Bad Duerkheim, with a German-benchmark dry Scheurebe alongside dry Riesling from the Ungsteiner Herrenberg.
Tip: Visit Pfeffingen for the dry Scheurebe; the cassis-grapefruit-fennel register is the estate's signature, and there are few better dry Scheurebes in Germany.
Freinsheim VDP family estate run by the Rings brothers, with dry Riesling and a serious Spaetburgunder programme from the warmer northern Pfalz villages.
Tip: Visit Rings for the dry Spaetburgunder programme; the Freinsheim Pinots sit alongside Friedrich Becker as one of the strongest northern-Pfalz Pinot pours.
The Gutswein-tier Spaetburgunder from Philipp Kuhn at Laumersheim, a northern-Pfalz VDP estate working serious Pinot programmes alongside Riesling. Linear, cool-fruited Pinot at an under-EUR-25 entry into the Kuhn range.
Tip: Estate Spaetburgunder is the cheapest read of Philipp Kuhn's northern-Pfalz Pinot; drink it with roast duck or oxidised hard cheese.