
- Falstaff Winery - 3 Stars · 2026
Venningen sits in the Pfalz with the quiet confidence of a wine village, not a performance-built destination. Around Der GlücksJäger, cobblestones, forest edges, and working countryside frame a land-and-bottle story: a 30-hectare biodynamic estate making about 40,000 bottles a year, treating Pfalz not as one Riesling lane but as a wider field for still whites and reds.
Biodynamic Pfalz, read through Riesling and beyond
Pfalz can ripen generously, but stronger estates avoid weight for its own sake. Der GlücksJäger’s range says so: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Weissburgunder, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon all appear. That breadth is not the usual shorthand for terroir purity; here it marks a contemporary Pfalz pattern, testing warmth against acidity, texture, and natural-style winemaking rather than limiting identity to one grape.
The Riesling ladder gives the clearest commercial signal, moving from Junge Hunde at €11 through tiers at €15, €24, and €33. Upper tiers suggest longer ageing and more wood influence. The estate’s 2023 Fume Sauvignon Blanc earned 92 Falstaff points in 2024, while a 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve trocken carries gold from the Vinum Rotweinpreis, useful because red Bordeaux varieties in Germany need more justification than Riesling.
A small estate with a broad, modern cellar logic
Winemaker Andreas Pfaffmann-Wiedemann works compactly: open allocation, shipping available, no food-pairing structure, and a split focus on still white and still red. For Venningen wine, start with our full Venningen wineries guide, then place meals, stays, and drinks through our full Venningen restaurants guide, full Venningen hotels guide, full Venningen bars guide, and full Venningen experiences guide. For broader winery reading, see & Handwein in Mannheim, 2 Naturkinder in Kitzingen, 3 Winner in Bechtheim, 49Point9 in Geisenheim, 532 Riesling in Rüdesheim am Rhein, 70469! in Stuttgart Feuerbach, 746 - Route du Brut in Ettlingen, Achkarrer Winzer am Schlossberg eG in Vogtsburg Achkarren, »der Steiner« Hans Steiner in Podersdorf am See, and ®walzer in Gneixendorf Bei Krems.
Questions
Frequently asked
Who works at Der GlücksJäger?
Made By profiles Andreas Pfaffmann-Wiedemann (Winemaker) at Der GlücksJäger.
The field
How it compares
| Place | Notes | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| Der GlücksJäger | Venningen | · |
| Abadía Retuerta | Sardón de Duero | World's 50 Best |
| Billecart-Salmon | Aÿ | World's 50 Best |
| Château Cos d'Estournel | Saint-Estèphe | World's 50 Best |
| Domäne Wachau | Dürnstein | World's 50 Best |
| Jacques Selosse | Avize | · |
| Quinta do Noval | Pinhão | World's 50 Best |