Weingut Dr. Heger

From country doctor hobby to three generations of Kaiserstuhl reference

The history of the Dr. Heger winery does not begin with a winemaker, but with a doctor. Max Heger practiced in Ihringen at the southern Kaiserstuhl and had many small winegrowers among his patients. Their passion was contagious: starting in 1935, he specifically bought fallow plots in the best sites in the area — including early plots on the Ihringer Winklerberg and the Achkarrer Schlossberg, which are among the most renowned in the Kaiserstuhl then as they are today. In 1949, his son Wolfgang — known to everyone simply as "Mimus" — took over the estate and placed it in the front rank of German wine producers with uncompromising quality standards. In 1981, his son Joachim, a trained oenologist from Geisenheim University, entered the cellar; in 1992, he took over overall responsibility together with his wife Silvia. Today, the fourth generation is already involved: daughter Rebecca has been supporting her father in the cellar since 2020, and daughter Katharina is responsible for sales.

Terroir first — work in the vineyard and in the cellar

The Ihringer Winklerberg is considered one of the warmest and sunniest sites in all of Germany. The climate between the Vosges and the Black Forest is characterized by the mild winds of the Burgundy Gate — almost Mediterranean conditions on Baden soil. The soils themselves are volcanic weathered rock, partially covered with loess or loess loam; they give the wines an unmistakable density and mineral structure. The vineyards are cultivated without herbicides and synthetic fertilizers, and the grapes are harvested exclusively by hand. In the cellar, Joachim Heger focuses on clear site typicity: white wines mature depending on the level in large oak barrels or partially in used barriques; the Pinot Noirs undergo mash fermentation with pre- and post-maceration of about 20 days and are subsequently aged in barriques. The consistently dry line — Joachim Heger keeps the residual sugar in almost all wines below four grams per liter — is not a dogma, but the result of precise work in the vineyard.

Burgundy dominance with depth — an overview of the assortment

Around 98 percent of the wines from the Dr. Heger winery are vinified dry. The assortment is divided into two lines: the site wines from the Ihringer Winklerberg and Achkarrer Schlossberg, classified as VDP Erste Lage and VDP Große Lage, appear under the Weingut Dr. Heger label. Here, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir dominate — both with about 30 percent vineyard share each — supplemented by Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Silvaner, Muscat, and Chardonnay. The Weinhaus Heger, founded in 1986 by Joachim Heger, offers more accessible Kaiserstuhl Burgundy for the daily table under lines such as Oktav and Sonett. What connects both levels: the signature of an estate that does not stage terroir, but lets it work — mineral, structured, with the maturity and density that the Kaiserstuhl produces when approached with patience. The winery has been a member of the VDP since 1986; Joachim Heger has also been chairman of the VDP regional association Baden since 2009.