Bernhard Huber

The Bernhard Huber Winery

When searching for the greatest red wine vintners in Germany, it won’t take long before you come across the Bernhard Huber winery in the Baden wine growing region. Not because it is so old, but because it is so good!

The story of the Bernhard Huber winery began in 1987 when Bernhard and Barbara Huber made the decision to purchase vineyards surrounding the village of Malterdingen in Breisgau from the vintner co-op that had previously been their grape supplier.

Why Bernhard Huber made this risky decision can be explained by his quality standards. Huber no longer wanted to stand by and watch the high quality Spätburgunder grapes from his Malterdingen vineyards disappear into co-operative wines.

Huber’s approach can best be described as ‘French’. Over 700 years ago, Sistine monks brought the Pinot Noir (aka. Spätburgunder) grape variety to Malterdingen in Germany and erected both a monastery and a farm called Curia. The Bernhard Huber winery now stands on the land once tended by the monks - ‘Mönchshofmatten’. Just as in Burgundy, the Sistine monks found that the weathered, chalky soil in Malterdingen provided perfect conditions for grape growing.

Perfect soil and first class climate conditions are one thing, and consistent yield reduction is another. At Bernhard Huber, quality is of the utmost importance, and it is clearly reflected in the winery’s Pinot Noirs. All of these wines are completely fermented with the mash and left on the fine lees for a very long time. Then the Bernhard Huber wines mature for 18 months in oak casks until they are finally – and gently – bottled. Whether they are high-quality table wines or grand crus – at Bernhard Huber all wines are treated with the same dedication.

In addition to its excellent Pinot Noirs, the Bernhard Huber winery has also proven itself perfectly capable of mastering other grape varieties, including the Burgundy grapes Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris as well as the Chardonnay and Auxerroisthat that also grow in in the perfect conditions the 26 hectare vineyards in Breisgau have to offer. But all in all, the Pinot Noir makes up over 70 % of Huber’s crop. They come from prize-winning locations such as Schlossberg, Bienenberg and Sommerhalde, which result in a few of the best grand crus that the Association of German Quality Wineries (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) produces. That said, his ‘simple’ wines are also a treat. Alte Reben Spätburgunder and Große Weiße VDP have no need to hide behind greats like Hecklinger Schlossberg. It doesn’t matter which newspaper or wine guide you consult: Huber wines are always amongst the best in Germany. Eichelmann, Feinschmecker, Gault Millau or Falstaff – they all honour Bernhard Huber fine wines.

That all sounds wonderful and exciting, but the history of the Bernhard Huber winery also has a very sad side. Bernhard Huber, for wine lovers one of the greatest red wine vintners in Germany, passed away much too soon in 2014. He, who had always emphasised Malterdingen’s relation to Burgundy, had long since achieved what he had set out to accomplish. His wines were able to compete with the greatest wines from Burgundy. His son Julian and widow Barbara continue his work today. Julian depends not only on what he learned from his father: His mentors Gert Aldinger (from the VDP winery Aldinger) and Paul Cluver in South Africa have also taught him a lot, so it is certain that the winery Bernhard Huber will continue to be synonymous with world class Pinot Noirs for the next 20 years and longer.