Five centuries of agriculture — and now only wine
The roots of the Spiess family go back to the year 1509, when Adam Spieß was the first of his line to practice viticulture alongside agriculture in Bechtheim. For generations, the family farmed in the warm south of Rheinhessen — for a long time with arable farming, livestock, and wine side by side. It was only with the youngest generation that the consistent decision was made: exclusively high-quality wines. Today, brothers Johannes and Christian Spiess manage the estate, which has always been known by the name Riederbacherhof. Johannes, born in 1986, completed his training with Klaus-Peter Keller and the Knipser family before studying viticulture and oenology in Geisenheim. Christian, in turn, gained experience at wineries such as Wagner-Stempel and Philipp Kuhn. In 2011, Johannes took over responsibility for the cellar, and in 2014, Christian took over vineyard management. The fact that parents Ute and Jürgen as well as Grandma Ilse and Christian's wife Sina continue to be involved in the business makes it clear: Spiess is not just a family winery in name only.
Loess loam, limestone, and the principle: the wine is created in the vineyard
Bechtheim lies in a striking valley basin formation in the south of Rheinhessen — south-facing vineyard slopes, trapped heat, soils of loess loam and limestone subsoil. The grapes for the entire range grow on 43 hectares of vineyard area that stretches around Bechtheim and Osthofen. The Geyersberg, Rosengarten, Hasensprung, and Stein sites provide different characters depending on the soil structure and microclimate.
The craft in the vineyard follows a clear principle: reduced yields and consistent grape selection — so that as little intervention as possible is required in the cellar. The winery is a member of Fair'n Green. In the cellar, Spiess relies on a combination of modern stainless steel tanks for freshness and precision as well as classic wooden barrels for Pinot Noir and aged white wines. The grapes are processed in small batches to reflect the site and variety as clearly as possible. Red local wines mature for around 15 months in small oak barrels.
Riesling, Burgundy varieties and Pinot Noir — with a Bechtheim signature
Christian and Johannes have consciously concentrated the range on high-quality Rieslings, white Burgundy varieties — Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay — as well as Pinot Noir. They are joined by the aromatic Yellow Muscat and fresh rosés. The estate wines form the accessible entry point: easy-drinking everyday wines with a clear origin, whose grapes come exclusively from their own vineyards around Bechtheim and Osthofen. Above these are the local and selection wines, which make the terroir of the individual Bechtheim sites visible — more concentrated, edgier, with more depth. The philosophy behind this is quite direct: "We produce the wine that we like to drink." Anyone who knows the wines of Spiess believes that immediately.
