Weingut Karl May

Karl May Winery in Osthofen

The two brothers Peter and Fritz - who are often mistaken for twins but are not - are the seventh generation to run the Karl May wine estate in Osthofen, Hesse, ten kilometers from Worms. They are not only supported by their parents but also by their wives.

The winery was founded in 1815. Since 2007, the 21 hectares of the family-run estate have been cultivated ecologically, thus, no synthetic chemical herbicides and pesticides are used.

In the cellar, patience and calmness are the highest maxims. The May brothers attach great importance to spontaneous fermentation and give the wines the appropriate time to develop.

The Karl May vineyards

The Karl May vineyards extend from Bechtheim to Westhofen and Osthofen. 

• Osthofen Goldberg: The Goldberg in Osthofen allows the vines to thrive on limestone soils. The wines taste mineral, almost salty on the palate. In addition, they shine with their beautiful acidity structure and good storage potential.
• Bechtheim Geyersberg: The Geyersberg in Bechtheim faces south. This means that the vines are naturally spoiled with a lot of sun. The result is mild wines with a spicy, mineral aftertaste. The oldest Riesling vines grow here on limestone. Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon grow on chalky, light loess soils that warm up quickly and produce complex red wines.
• Westhofen Morstein: The Morstein is the most renowned single vineyard in the municipality of Westhofen. The Morstein site is oriented from south to southwest and thus benefits especially from the evening sun, which is good for the Riesling. The vines grow on clayey marl with limestone

Vines

The Karl May vineyard is planted with:

• Silvaner
• Pinot Blanc
• Pinot Gris
• Riesling
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Pinot Noir
• Pinot noir precoce
• Cabernet Sauvignon

Blood Brother

In homage to their namesake, world-famous author of western and adventure novels Karl May, and their deep family ties, brothers Peter and Fritz May have created the "Blood Brother" series, which offers a red, a white and a rosé wine. "Forever united" is the series' fitting motto. The white wine matures in stainless steel, the red and rosé wines enjoy used barriques. Dry matured and of course in organic quality, the cuvées come in bottles with artistically designed labels.

Maxime Origin Rheinhessen

The May brothers are members of Maxime Herkunft Rheinhessen, an initiative of leading wineries in the region. As a common guiding principle, the three-stage classification model of estate, local and site wines is a recognized, valuable and tangible classification of wine quality to sharpen the profile of Rheinhessen.