Dr. Köhler

From 1898 to today: A traditional winery rethought

The Dr. Köhler winery looks back on a history that began in 1898 in Bechtheim — at a time when the Wilhelminian manor house and the spacious park were still fresh and the old vaulted cellar held wine for the first time. For decades, the business was an integral part of Rheinhessen viticulture until the heirs showed no further interest in continuing it in the 2000s. What followed was not a dissolution, but a new beginning: 2006, Christian Dreißigacker, older brother of the well-known Bechtheim winemaker Jochen Dreißigacker, began working at the estate, initially as neighborhood help among winemakers — and eventually took it over completely. Since then, he has lived and worked at the Dr. Köhler winery, which he has gently but consistently shaped according to his own vision.

Christian Dreißigacker comes from a winemaking family in Bechtheim and grew up literally next to the winery he runs today. After classic winemaking training in Rheinhessen and the Palatinate, as well as business and master courses, he worked in his parents' business starting in 1999. He developed a passion for Burgundy grape varieties early on — and found in Dr. Köhler the ideal framework to give it free rein.

Ecologically farmed, consistently down-to-earth

As early as 2007, shortly after the takeover, Christian Dreißigacker converted the business to ecological farming. In the vineyard, this means: fertilization exclusively with horse manure, no use of herbicides, targeted cover cropping between the vines to promote humus content and soil life. Only biological preparations are used for plant protection. The goal is not certification for the sake of certification, but working in harmony with nature — actively giving something back, not just taking.

The vineyards are spread across the core sites Geyersberg, Rosengarten, and Hasensprung around Bechtheim. The Geyersberg — whose name goes back to medieval birds of prey and was already documented around 1500 — lies on carbonate-rich loess soils with high lime content. These soils, sometimes loess, sometimes calcareous marl, sometimes clay, provide the basis for wines with a clear origin. The wines mature slowly and protected in the old vaulted cellar under the manor house.

Clear line: Burgundy varieties, parcel numbers, and a systematic range

The stylistic core of the winery is the white Burgundy varieties — Chardonnay, Grauburgunder, and Weißburgunder dominate the collection, supplemented by Riesling, Silvaner, Scheurebe, and now also a Sauvignon Blanc. The wines are fruit-driven, varietally typical, and pure — without frills, without show effects. What distinguishes Dr. Köhler from the average is the label concept: every bottle bears the five-digit number of the vineyard parcel from which the grapes originate. Grape variety, origin — that is all that is on it. No marketing speak, no story to distract.

The range follows a clear hierarchy: estate wines (bronze), village wines (silver), and single-vineyard wines (gold) provide orientation regarding origin and ambition. In addition, there are concept wines such as the Kaisermantel line with Chardonnay, Grauburgunder, and Rosé, as well as lighter, easy-drinking labels such as the Pfandturm Rosé, the Secco Rezeptfrei, or the Doktorspiele Cuvée — wines that do not take themselves too seriously, but still show where they come from.