History
Ratzenberger Winery is in its third generation; Jochen Ratzenberger took over as head of the family business in 2003. Its origins go back much further, however; grandfather Hans Ratzenberger established our traditional wine estate in 1956 when he procured a small winery in Bacharach as an addition to his family smallholding.
On purchasing the winery Hans Ratzenberger’s son Hans-Jochen took on responsibility at a relatively young age, carefully building up the business and setting a number of new standards. Since then our work has focussed on sustainable viticulture with low yields per hectare and on producing top-quality wines that age well.
A new course was set when the winery moved to its present home in 1979. The premises on Blücherstraße date back to the once famous Hütwohl wine merchants from Bacharach who were hit by crisis in the 1960s. The building stood empty for many years until Hans-Jochen and Carmen Ratzenberger decided to purchase it and move in with their children. After spending time in the Rheingau and on the River Moselle, in 1994 son Jochen Ratzenberger permanently joined the family firm which he has managed since 2003.
Another major decision was made in 2017 when a plot measuring ten hectares (ca. 25 acres) was acquired in the Schloss Fürstenberg vineyards outside the gates of Bacharach. This brought the total area farmed by Ratzenberger Winery up to a good twenty hectares (50 acres).
