Württemberg
ヴュルテンベルク
Germany's red wine heartland, home of Trollinger.
About Württemberg
- Producers listed
- 33
Württemberg is Germany's fourth-largest wine region, spanning roughly 11,500 hectares along the Neckar River and its tributaries Rems, Enz, Kocher and Jagst, centered between Stuttgart and Heilbronn. Unlike most German regions built around Riesling, Württemberg is defined by red wine: roughly seventy percent of its vineyards grow red varieties, led by the region's signature grape Trollinger (16.7% of plantings, over 98% of all German Trollinger), alongside Lemberger, Spätburgunder and Schwarzriesling. Sheltered by the Black Forest and Swabian Jura, its steep, terraced slopes and diverse Keuper, shell-limestone and loess soils produce a wide range of styles. Viticulture here traces back over two thousand years to Roman settlement, and today about 70 winegrowing cooperatives handle roughly 75% of total production, the highest cooperative share of any German wine region — a reflection of the many small, family-held plots that define the area.
Best for
Drinkers curious about German red wines, fans of light, food-friendly Trollinger, and anyone exploring cooperative-driven winemaking.
Food Pairings
The local pairing is Trollinger with Swabian Maultaschen (stuffed pasta pockets), Spätzle, roast onion (Zwiebelrostbraten) and platters of bacon and mountain cheese; the region's fuller reds also suit roasted poultry and aged cheeses.
Producers
クリスティアン・ヒルシュ・ヴァイン
Christian Hirsch Weine
Christian Hirsch Weine is a third-generation family estate in Leingarten, Württemberg, near Heilbronn at the foot of the Heuchelberg. Christian Hirsch took over the vineyard in 2013 after studying at Geisenheim University and the Robert Mondavi Institute at UC Davis, and after an internship at Hartford Family Winery in Sonoma County, California. Drawing on this international experience, he crafts powerful, terroir-driven red wines from Keuper soils — centered on Lemberger, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah — alongside crisp whites and disease-resistant PIWI varieties, all produced vegan. His wines have earned the Deutscher Rotweinpreis and top placings at Meininger's Rotweinpreis.
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hirsch.wine/ドラウツ・アーブル
Drautz-Able
Weingut Drautz-Able is a VDP.Württemberg member estate based in Heilbronn, Germany, tracing its origins to 1496 when Jodokus Drautz founded the property; the present double-barreled name dates to 1960, when the marriage of Christel Drautz and Martin Able united the two families. A VDP.Württemberg member since 1994, the estate is now run by owner-winemaker Markus C. Drautz together with his mother Monika Drautz and his wife Stephanie de Longueville-Drautz, the 18th generation at the helm. Roughly 14-16 hectares are farmed across classified sites including the VDP.Erste Lage Heilbronner Stiftsberg and the VDP.Grosse Lage Scheuerberg near Neckarsulm, planted mainly to Lemberger, Trollinger, Riesling and Pinot varieties. The estate is a co-founder of the HADES growers' group and the Deutsches Barrique Forum, and is entirely independent of the other Heilbronn-based VDP estate, Kistenmacher-Hengerer.
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drautz-able.de/フェルバッハー・ヴァインゲルトナー
Fellbacher Weingärtner eG
Fellbacher Weingärtner eG is a wine growers' cooperative (Winzergenossenschaft) founded in 1858 in Fellbach on the outskirts of Stuttgart — the second-oldest wine cooperative in the Württemberg region. Around 200-270 member grower families (sources vary) cultivate roughly 185 hectares of vineyard on the steep slopes of the Kappelberg, centered on the celebrated Lämmler and Goldberg sites, with about 60% planted to red varieties. Unlike Fellbach's small family estates such as Weingut Aldinger or Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann, the cooperative pools grapes from many independent growers and vinifies them collectively in a modern winery (built 1940, since expanded). Trollinger and Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) form the historic backbone of the range, alongside Spätburgunder, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau and other varieties, released across tiered lines — Edition C for everyday drinking, Edition S for yield-reduced selections, and Edition P for premium single-site bottlings. The cooperative has earned numerous national and international awards, including multiple golds at Mundus Vini and recognition for Best German Red Wine at Meininger's CO-OP Contest.
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www.fellbacher-weine.de/フェルゼンガルテンケラライ・ベジグハイム
Felsengartenkellerei Besigheim eG
Felsengartenkellerei Besigheim eG is one of Germany's most decorated wine cooperatives, headquartered in Hessigheim in the heart of the Württemberg wine region. Its roots trace back to 1938, when twenty Besigheim winegrowers formed the Weingärtnergenossenschaft Besigheim; the cooperative took its present name in 1972 through a merger with the Hessigheim growers, and later grew further with the addition of Ilsfeld (2010) and Bad Cannstatt (2019). Today around 400 winegrower families cultivate roughly 540 hectares across ten wine villages on the steep, terraced limestone slopes along the Neckar and Enz rivers. Unlike a single-estate winery, it operates as a member-owned Genossenschaft (eG) that pools fruit from many smallholders and applies unusually strict quality controls — growers voluntarily cut yields by up to two-thirds and hand-select only healthy grapes, aided by an AI-powered optical sorting line. The cooperative has repeatedly been named Germany's best Winzergenossenschaft at the international Mundus Vini competition. Its wines, sold under the golden-lizard emblem (a nod to the wall lizards living in the vineyards' dry-stone walls), are led by classic Württemberg reds Trollinger and Lemberger alongside Riesling and other varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chardonnay.
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felsengartenkellerei.de/フュルスト・ホーエンローエ・エーリンゲン
Fürst Hohenlohe Oehringen
Weingut Fürst Hohenlohe Oehringen, based in Öhringen-Verrenberg in the Württemberg region, is one of Germany's oldest documented family businesses, with winemaking traced back to 1253/1256 and now led by the 27th generation of the princely House of Hohenlohe-Oehringen. A VDP.Württemberg member since 1975, the estate farms roughly 25 hectares centered on its monopoly vineyard Verrenberg (VDP.GROSSE LAGE) and the Verrenberger Goldberg (VDP.ERSTE LAGE), on shell-limestone-flecked Keuper soils. All vineyards have been certified organic since 2008. Riesling and Lemberger form the backbone of the range, complemented by Sauvignon Blanc, Weissburgunder, Cabernet Franc, Spätburgunder and Grauburgunder, with the flagship cuvées 'Ex flammis orior' and 'In Senio' prized for their long ageing potential.
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www.verrenberg.deグラーフ・アデルマン
Graf Adelmann
Weingut Graf Adelmann is a historic VDP estate based at Burg Schaubeck, a 13th-century castle in Kleinbottwar in the Württemberg region. Viticulture on the site is documented as far back as 1297, and the estate has been in the Adelmann family for five generations, now jointly run by cousins Felix and Quirin Graf Adelmann. A VDP member since 1973 and a pioneer of barrique aging in Germany since 1981, the estate farms roughly 29 hectares organically (EU-Bio certified) across three VDP.GROSSE LAGEN monopole sites — Oberer Berg, Götzenberg and Süßmund. Lemberger is the estate's signature red grape, alongside Riesling, Trollinger, Spätburgunder and other Württemberg varieties, all expressing the region's distinctive Keuper soils.
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www.graf-adelmann.com/
Show all other producers (27)
- Graf Neipperg
- Graf von Bentzel-Sturmfeder
- Herzog von Württemberg
- Kistenmacher-Hengerer
- Lauffener Weingärtner
- Lembergerland Kellerei Rosswag eG
- Privatkellerei Storz
- Remstalkellerei eG
- Schloss Affaltrach
- Schlossgut Hohenbeilstein
- Staatsweingut Weinsberg
- Wein & Sektgut Hirschmüller
- Weingut Albrecht Schwegler
- Weingut Aldinger
- Weingut Beurer
- Weingut Dautel
- Weingut Heid
- Weingut Jürgen Ellwanger
- Weingut Karl Haidle
- Weingut Rainer Schnaitmann
- Weingut Rolf Heinrich
- Weingut Wachtstetter
- Weingut Wöhrwag
- Weingut Zimmerle
- Weingärtner Stromberg-Zabergäu eG
- Weingärtnergenossenschaft Metzingen-Neuhausen eG
- Wilhelm Kern
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Württemberg a red wine region?
- Yes. Württemberg is unique among Germany's thirteen wine regions for its emphasis on red wine, with roughly 70% of its vineyard area planted to red varieties, far above the German average.
- What is Trollinger, and why is it associated with Württemberg?
- Trollinger is a light-bodied, fruity red grape that is Württemberg's signature variety, accounting for about 16.7% of plantings. Over 98% of Germany's Trollinger vines grow in this region alone.
- Why are cooperatives so important in Württemberg?
- About 70 winegrowing cooperatives handle roughly 75% of Württemberg's total wine production, the highest cooperative share in Germany. This developed because most local growers farm very small plots and pool their grapes for vinification.
- Where is Württemberg located, and what is its terroir like?
- Württemberg lies in southwestern Germany around Stuttgart and Heilbronn, along the Neckar River and its tributaries. The Black Forest and Swabian Jura shelter the steep, terraced vineyards, and soils range from Keuper marl to shell limestone and loess.
- What food pairs well with Württemberg wines?
- Light Trollinger reds are the classic match for Swabian Maultaschen and Spätzle, while the region's more structured Lemberger and Spätburgunder pair well with roasted meats and aged cheeses.