In the early 1980s, Stefan Rumpf was the first vintner to plant Chardonnay grapes along the Nahe River. He believed the climate and soil of the Lower Nahe offered the best conditions for this varietal – and he was proven right.

At Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, we are always experimenting. But it’s not all new. Sometimes we go back to traditional methods that were used more than a hundred years ago and modify them.

For instance, we wanted to revive the use of wooden barrels. We did extensive tests with different varietals, wood, toasting level, capacity, and manufacturers until we got the results we wanted.

We also rack off wines from one barrel to another, and bottle our Pinot Noir without filtering it.

Experimentation is just as important at Weingut Kruger-Rumpf as preservation is. We are open to both new and old things as long as they suit us.

The important thing for us is that the common thread must be clearly visible throughout Weingut Kruger-Rumpf and all of our wines.

Almost 40 years ago, our father earned an agriculture degree, which included animal husbandry and breeding. He dreamed of keeping sheep and goats when he retired.

In 2013, we replanted the vineyard terraces at the steepest site, the Münsterer Rheinberg.
We wanted to keep the vegetation as pesticide-free as possible and to avoid stressing the soil with heavy machinery.

We believe livestock are an important part of the integrated circular economy in an agricultural operation.

Accordingly, we put five Boer goats out to graze in our vineyards. After they repeatedly escaped, we switched to sheep.

We now have between 15 and 25 sheep and lambs grazing in our vineyards, depending on the season. They serve us well, especially on the steep terraced vineyards of Langenberg and Rheinberg.