Weingut Bretz

Winery Ernst Bretz

The winery Ernst Bretz e.K. can look back on 300 years of history, since it was founded in 1721 in Bechtolsheim in Rheinhessen. Since 1987 it has been run in the 9th generation by the brothers Horst and Harald Bretz and Horst's wife Heike. Harald Bretz is responsible for the cultivation of the vineyards, his brother Horst looks after the cellar and production, while his wife Heike is responsible for customer service.

It all started as a mixed business with agriculture and viticulture, the first vines that were planted were used to produce wine for the Welschnonnen monastery in Mainz. Nearly 200 years after its founding, the Bretz winery was enlarged in 1907 and bottled wine marketing was introduced. It was not until 1931 that agriculture was completely discontinued and from then on only wine was produced.

With Ernst Bretz, the 8th generation took over the management of the winery in 1956. He expanded the production and the export, exporting now even to Japan and the USA, where the noble sweet ice wines are particularly appreciated.

About 60% of the total production of Weingut Bretz is sold directly from the farm to private customers, the rest is distributed through the trade.

The Bretz grape varieties

The nearly 40 hectares of vineyards at Weingut Ernst Bretz are planted in equal parts with red and white grape varieties.

White grape varieties:

• Riesling
• Pinot Blanc
• Pinot Gris
• Chardonnay
• Silvaner
• Rivaner
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Gewürztraminer
• Scheurebe
• Huxelrebe
• Bacchus
• Kerner

Red grape varieties:

• Pinot Noir
• Dornfelder
• Blauer Portugieser
• Regent
• St. Laurent
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Pinot noir precoce

The vineyards of the Bretz estate

The almost 40 hectares of vineyards of the Bretz W inery are distributed mainly around the Bechtolsheimer Petersberg. Here the Bretz family has vineyards on the individual sites:

• Bechtolsheimer Klosterberg
• Bechtolsheimer Homberg
• Bechtolsheimer Wingertstor
• Bechtolsheimer Sonnenberg

The soils in these sites are composed of loess and calcareous loam with shell limestone. The Bretz wines owe their mineral character to this composition.

The vinification

Yields in the Bretz vineyards are consistently reduced through targeted pruning of the vines and the removal of superfluous grapes. Vineyard management is environmentally friendly and sustainable.

In the cellar, the white grape varieties are gently pressed and destemmed, then aged in stainless steel. The red grape varieties are macerated and aged in stainless steel and barrique. The maturation in barrique lasts up to 18 months.

Awards for Weingut Bretz 

Since the 1960s, under the aegis of Ernst Bretz, the Bretz Winery has received award after award. Since 2008, the Bretz W inery has also been permanently in the top 100 list of DLG-recommended wineries, where it is steadily working its way up. In 2019, Bretz has already made it to 28th place on this list. Some of the awards and medals:

• State award for wine and sparkling wine: state honorary prize of the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economics and Viticulture in the years 2008 to 2015
• International Green Week Berlin 2010 and 2013: "Best Regent producer" award from the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, presented by the then Parliamentary State Secretary Julia Klöckner
• Selection 2012: 27th place among the 50 best winegrowers in Germany
• Der Feinschmecker: Listing of the Bretz Winery among the best German wineries
• International Austrian Wine Challenge Vienna 2011: 1 star and gold
• Wine fair Interwine China 2011: Chardonnay as "Best ice wine
• Bundesehrenpreisverleihung der DLG 2013: Winemaker of the year 2013 with Bundesehrenpreis for wine in gold
• Oskar Patzelt Foundation 2016: Grand Prize of Medium-Sized Businesses
• Great Wine Capitals 2019: "best of wine tourism award" in the category wine tourism service
• German Agricultural Society (DLG) 2020: awarded the Bretz Winery as "Winemaker of the Year 2020" with Federal Honorary Award in Gold as well as "Wine Producer of the Year"