Van Volxem

From monastery estate to the figurehead of the Saar

The main house of Van Volxem stands in the historic center of Wiltingen — built on the foundations of a Roman estate, cultivated since the early 18th century initially by the Luxembourg Jesuits. After secularization, the estate came into the possession of the Belgian merchant Gustav van Volxem, whose family managed it for four generations and brought it to the world top: Around 1900, Van Volxem wines achieved prices that even surpassed great Bordeaux. After decades of decline and a short interlude under the name “Jordan & Jordan”, the estate was on the verge of bankruptcy at the end of the 1990s. At the end of 1999, Roman Niewodniczanski — scion of the Bitburger brewery dynasty and economic geographer — took over the dilapidated property, restored it in accordance with monument protection, and marketed the wines again under their historic name. In 2007, Van Volxem became a member of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP).

Organic viticulture, gravity cellar, no compromises

In the vineyard, natural, purely organic soil management is the focus: from the accurate manual harvest in several selection passes to the careful post-harvest on the conveyor belt in the cellar. In order to harvest concentrated, aromatically ripe fruits, Van Volxem limits the yield to an average of around 40 hl/ha — in the top sites, the harvest usually does not take place until November. In 2019, after a three-year construction period, the estate opened a new wine manufactory on the Wiltinger Schlossberg: grapes and must are moved there exclusively by gravity, without pumps. The centerpiece is a natural stone cellar in which the wines mature in wooden barrels made from the estate's own oaks. In the cellar, spontaneous fermentation is consistently carried out with wild yeasts, and fining agents are dispensed with — the terroir should speak, not the winemaker's intervention.

Since 2022, Roman Niewodniczanski has been supported by cellar master Christoph Friedrich and manager Lukas Becker. The Vinum Wine Guide named Niewodniczanski Winemaker of the Year in 2019.

Riesling pure — from the estate wine level to 130-year-old own-rooted vines

Van Volxem cultivates around 80 hectares of steep slopes along the Saar, over 90% of which are planted with Riesling. The average age of the vines is about 35 years; in the Wiltinger Gottesfuß site, vines grow that are around 130 years old and own-rooted — a rarity that is almost unparalleled in Germany. Depending on the site, the soils alternate between Devonian slate, red slate, grey slate, quartzite, and diabase; they store heat during the day and release it slowly at night, which enables even ripening even in cool years. The VDP.Grosse Lagen include Scharzhofberger, Wiltinger Gottesfuß, Bockstein, and Altenberg. The resulting Grosse Gewächse show what the Saar can do in its best form: precise acidity structure, salty finish, yellow fruit, and slate minerality that still gains even after a decade in the cellar. Those who start with the Saar Riesling QbA dry already get a clear impression of the house — mineral, lean, with a graphite note and a long finish — before the site-specific Rieslings unfold the full depth of the Saar.