Located in the village of Siefersheim in Rheinhessen, Germany, Weingut Wagner Stempel is a well-known traditional family-owned winery in the region and one of the best in the German wine industry.
Founded in 1845, the family's ancestors not only developed traditional mixed farming into today's famous wine estates, but also upgraded Hollberg Vineyard and Heerkretz Vineyard to Grand Prix in the first decades of the 20th century.
Since the early 1990s, Daniel Wagner, the ninth generation of the Wagonard family business, has been in charge of the winery, working to achieve his goal of producing quality wines from his country of origin year by year.
Daniel Wagona (Image: www.wagner-stempel.de)
In 2004, Château Wagonard became a member of the Verband Deutscher Pradikatsweinguter (VDP). Founded in 1910, the predecessor of the German Prestige Alliance has undertaken the mission of "representing the top wines and fully safeguarding the reputation of German wines" from the very beginning of its existence, and its members are all highly prestigious and influential wineries at that time, and follow strict winemaking standards.
There are currently around 200 wineries in the alliance, which are representative of germany's outstanding wineries and produce wines of excellent quality. The alliance also has an eagle logo, which can be used by wineries within the alliance on eligible wines.
Image source: www.vdp.de
VDP interviewed Daniel Wagonna, owner of the Wagonard winery. In the interview, Daniel introduced the scenery of the village of Seversheim, the winemaking philosophy of the Wagonard winery, and in particular, a wine that made him feel fulfilled.
VDP: Can you talk about what makes Wagonard winery special?
Daniel Wagonard: Located in the small, quiet village of Seversheim, The Wagonard Winery is surrounded by picturesque landscapes, surrounded by steep volcanic hills, heather, pristine streams, ancient quarries and overgrown rock walls. We have been cultivating and brewing wine here for nine generations now. Feel free to visit the Wagona Winery and see the beautiful courtyard where we have an old chestnut tree.
Courtyard of Wagonard Winery (Image: www.wagner-stempel.de)
VDP: What is the philosophy of Château Vargona?
Daniel Wagona: For us, hand-growing is an important philosophy. Under the controllable scale and intuitive hand-grown, everything is clear and transparent – the wine can intuitively tell its time, location, people.
VDP: What is the style of wine you are after?
Daniel Wagonard: The village of Seversheim has a cool climate and the soil here is special, it's a porphyr, also known as Rhyolite. The wines produced here are delicate in aroma at a young age, with a lean structure, pronounced acidity, light body, a hint of salty mineral flavours and expressiveness, and a tight and exciting overall style. Riesling wines are an excellent interpretation of this intrinsic character.
VDP: Which wine would you recommend to someone who doesn't know your winery yet?
Daniel Wagonard: I would recommend our Weingut Wagner Stempel Siefersheim Riesling Porphyr, Rheinhessen, Germany.
2020 Wagonard Winery Seversheim Porphyry Riesling White Wine
VDP: Is there any wine that makes you feel particularly accomplished?
Daniel Wagonard: I think it's Weingut Wagner Stempel Heerkretz Riesling GG, Rheinhessen, Germany). Until the 1990s, the Herre Vineyards were a forgotten and neglected vineyard on a steep hillside in the south of the village, with only a few plots of land planted with grapes, most of which were surrounded by stone walls of terraces, heather fields and quarries. Year after year, we planted new grapes in this deserted garden, renovated the dry stone walls, and finally revived the cultural landscape of the Heret-class garden, which not only made us very happy, but also fulfilled our obligations as grape growers.
Heret Park (Image: www.wagner-stempel.de)
VDP: If your wine were a piece of music, what would you think would be?
Daniel Wagona: I think it's divertimento. Fun is the cheerful chamber music of Viennese classical music, and we think of our wines as playful, with a pleasant core.