Weingut Hammel

The Hammel Winery: Tradition and Passion in Viticulture

A look behind the scenes of a renowned winery

Since 1723, now in its ninth generation, the Hammel Winery has been at the heart of the family. In Kirchheim an der Weinstraße, where the Romans were already planting vines 2,000 years ago, they cultivate their vineyards with attention to detail and deep respect for nature.

The mild climate and diverse soils of the Palatinate offer the best conditions for growing classic and modern grape varieties. This creates characterful wines that span the arc from tradition to modernity. At Hammel you can taste the joy of wine in every glass. Tradition and modernity go hand in hand here to create wines that reflect the family’s passion and dedication.

In addition to viticulture, the Hammel Winery offers various opportunities to discover the Palatinate and enjoy the wines with all your senses. In the wine shop you can taste and buy the wines. Regular wine tastings, courtyard festivals and other events also take place.

The Hammel Winery invites you to discover the Palatinate and enjoy the wines with all your senses.

The new generation

In 2023, another generational change was initiated. Step by step, the brothers Martin and Christoph Hammel are handing over management to Martin Hammel’s son Markus Nordhorn, who will run the company together with his friends Phillip Merk and Til Rothenberger. Nordhorn will be responsible for sales, Merk will take over vineyard operations, and Rothenberger works as cellar master.

The vineyards: climate and terroir

Nestled between the Odenwald and the Haardt Forest, the region around the winery has roughly 2,000 hours of sunshine and the mildest climate in Germany, offering excellent conditions for growing both classic and modern grape varieties.

With great dedication and passion, the Hammels here process grapes from vineyard sites such as Herrenberg and Frauenländchen in Kleinkarlbach, Geisskopf in Kirchheim, and the Dirmsteiner Mandelpfad. The soils of the growing areas are just as diverse. From limestone and clay to loess loam, the specific soil properties give the wines produced here an incomparable character.

The sites

The Hammel vineyard sites are located around the Palatinate wine village of Kirchheim on the German Wine Route.

• Kleinkarlbacher Herrenberg
• Kirchheimer Steinacker
• Dirmsteiner Mandelpfad
• Bissersheimer Held
• Kirchheimer Kreuz
• Kirchheimer Geisskopf
• Kleinkarlbacher Frauenländchen
• Kleinkarlbacher Herrenberg
• Sausenheimer Klostergarten

Grape varieties and wines

The heart of the vineyards is formed by the white grape varieties, first and foremost Riesling, which is grown on around 60 percent of the area. The range of white wines is complemented by:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Grauburgunder (Ruländer, Pinot Gris)
• Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc)
• Chardonnay

Among the red grape varieties, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) predominates, and in addition the following are grown:

• Sankt Laurent
• Blauer Portugieser
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot

Innovative and traditional at the same time, the Hammel Winery presents wonderfully fresh, fully fruity white and rosé wines. The red wines, which mature through classic mash fermentation and ageing in wooden barrels, impress with complex aromas and elegant tannins.

Special attention is now being paid to new grape varieties, the so-called PIWIs. PIWIs are fungus-resistant varieties. They require only minimal plant protection. A few of the new varieties are:

• Cabernet Blanc
• Sauvitage
• Cabernet Cortis
• Satin Noir

Winemaking

The grape harvest at the Hammel Winery is carried out selectively by hand. In the wine cellar, renovated and modernised in 2015, the cellar masters Til Rothenberger and Winfried Stöckel process the grapes gently. The red wines are predominantly aged in wooden barrels. Some of the white wines also undergo spontaneous fermentation and in some cases mature in wooden barrels.

Awards

The Hammel Winery and its wines are regularly honoured by wine critics. The Falstaff Wine Guide 2023 stated:

“Christoph Hammel is one of the most dynamic and inventive personalities in the Palatinate, a region not short of strong characters. But he is also a truly excellent winemaker: his wines may be made in a somewhat accessible style, but they are always reliable – and never banal.”

The winery was awarded 3 stars by Falstaff.