Winery Van Volxem
The Van Volxem winery is something very special. Located in the historic centre of Wiltingen, the main house is built on the foundations of a Roman farmstead. As a former monastery vineyard of the Luxembourg Jesuits, it has had large plots of land in the best slate steep slopes of the Saar since the early 18th century. These include such historic top sites (Grand Cru/VDP. Große Lage®) as Scharzhofberger, Wiltinger Gottesfuß and Volz. The Van Volxem winery, which exclusively cultivates steep slate slopes, has expanded its outstanding portfolio of vineyards in recent years to include excellent vineyards in Ockfen, Wawern, Saarburg and Kanzem.
These naturally privileged terroirs have belonged to the highest quality class since the Prussian vineyard classification of 1865. 93% of the 80 hectares of vineyards are planted with Riesling, 7% with the Burgundy varieties Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are primarily used to produce high-quality estate sparkling wines. The average age of the vines is around 35 years. In the Wiltinger Gottesfuß vineyard, one of the steepest and most renowned Saar vineyards, Van Volxem has the rarity of Riesling vines that are around 130 years old and have no roots.
After four generations in the Van Volxem family, Roman Niewodniczanski took over the estate in 2000, restored it in line with its listed status and has since expanded it to include numerous top vineyards.
“At Van Volxem, we believe that many things should be done differently, but also that many things cannot be done better than has been practised in our unique steep vineyards for thousands of years. We believe in authentic wines, made with wild yeasts – by hand – in harmony with an intact natural and cultural landscape. We are committed to this heritage of sustainable wine production and are delighted to have FAIR’N GREEN as a reliable partner at our side, so that we can continue to fulfil our high responsibility as a top VdP winery in the future.”
Roman Niewodniczanski
“At Van Volxem, we believe that many things should be done differently, but also that many things cannot be done better than has been practised in our unique steep vineyards for thousands of years. We believe in authentic wines, made with wild yeasts – by hand – in harmony with an intact natural and cultural landscape. We are committed to this heritage of sustainable wine production and are delighted to have FAIR’N GREEN as a reliable partner at our side, so that we can continue to fulfil our high responsibility as a top VdP winery in the future.”
Roman Niewodniczanski
Philosophy
The team, which has been strengthened since 2020 by sales manager Christian Valk and since 2022 by cellar master Christoph Friedrich and administrator Lukas Becker, is committed to the rich history of the traditional estate. With the new manufactory, the Van Volxem winery wants to build on the tradition and innovation of the past centuries.
At the centre of the Van Volxem winery’s quality philosophy are elaborate viticultural measures, ranging from natural, purely organic soil cultivation to meticulous manual foliage work. In order to harvest very ripe, highly aromatic fruit, the yield is limited to an average of around 40 hectolitres per hectare using a variety of measures such as green harvesting/grape division.
Since 2001, new vines have been planted or replanted exclusively with predominantly ungrafted selection vines (sélection massale). The modern manufactory on the Wiltinger Schlossberg was opened in 2019. Designed under the aegis of Italian architects and modelled on Prussian wine-growing domains, grapes and must are processed here over several levels using only gravity. The centrepiece of this ensemble of buildings, many details of which have been constructed according to the principles of sustainability, is the natural stone cellar in which the wines mature in wooden barrels made from the estate’s own oak. In addition, a rarities cellar provides the setting for the long-term and extremely gentle ageing of high-quality réserve wines in specially developed pressurised tanks, as was customary during the heyday of Saar wine.
Philosophy
The team, which has been strengthened since 2020 by sales manager Christian Valk and since 2022 by cellar master Christoph Friedrich and administrator Lukas Becker, is committed to the rich history of the traditional estate. With the new manufactory, the Van Volxem winery wants to build on the tradition and innovation of the past centuries.
At the centre of the Van Volxem winery’s quality philosophy are elaborate viticultural measures, ranging from natural, purely organic soil cultivation to meticulous manual foliage work. In order to harvest very ripe, highly aromatic fruit, the yield is limited to an average of around 40 hectolitres per hectare using a variety of measures such as green harvesting/grape division.
Since 2001, new vines have been planted or replanted exclusively with predominantly ungrafted selection vines (sélection massale). The modern manufactory on the Wiltinger Schlossberg was opened in 2019. Designed under the aegis of Italian architects and modelled on Prussian wine-growing domains, grapes and must are processed here over several levels using only gravity. The centrepiece of this ensemble of buildings, many details of which have been constructed according to the principles of sustainability, is the natural stone cellar in which the wines mature in wooden barrels made from the estate’s own oak. In addition, a rarities cellar provides the setting for the long-term and extremely gentle ageing of high-quality réserve wines in specially developed pressurised tanks, as was customary during the heyday of Saar wine.
CONTACT
Weingut Van Volxem
Zum Schlossberg 347
54459 Wiltingen / Saar
+49 (0) 65 01 – 80 22 90
office[at]vanvolxem.com
www.vanvolxem.com
Photo: Weingut Van Volxem