Langwerth von Simmern Baron

Baron Langwerth von Simmern – Half a millennium of Rheingau wine culture

The Baron Langwerth von Simmern Winery boasts one of the longest traditions in German viticulture. Its history began in 1464, when Johann Langwerth von Simmern, Chancellor to Duke Ludwig of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, was enfeoffed with 32 2/3 Morgen of the Hattenheim Mannberg . This laid the foundation for a winery that has helped shape the history of the Rheingau over five centuries.

The family, who were descended from the high nobility of the Imperial Counts of Simmern, moved into Hattenheim Castle in 1472. In 1711, they moved to Eltville, and in 1753 the family acquired the Lichtenstern estate, which from then on served as the estate’s headquarters under the name Langwerther Hof. Almost 100 per cent Riesling was grown on just under 30 hectares of vineyards – in sites that are now counted among the finest in the Rheingau: Erbacher Marcobrunn, Rauenthaler Baiken, Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen, Wisselbrunnen and Mannberg.

The estate’s wines, particularly the Auslese and Beerenauslese vintages from the 1960s and 1970s, became legendary and were ranked among the best in Germany. Georg R. Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern ran the estate with great dedication, but the income from viticulture was increasingly insufficient to maintain the listed Langwerther Hof.

In 2017, an era spanning more than 550 years came to an end: wine production was discontinued, membership of the VDP lapsed, and the Langwerther Hof was sold. The remaining vineyards – including the Marcobrunn and the Mannberg – remained in the family’s possession and have since been farmed by external contractors.

Baron Langwerth von Simmern stands today as a living testament to half a millennium of Rheingau wine culture. The name lives on in the surviving bottles, which rank among the most sought-after rarities in German wine history. The estate stands as a monument to the endurance of a family that has shaped the region’s wine culture across generations – and as a silent legacy that preserves, in every bottle, the memory of one of the great dynasties of German viticulture .