Vereinigte Hospitien

The origin of the United Hospices wine cellars is rooted in ancient Roman stonework, built around 330 AD. The United Hospices were established on the ruins of the Horrea, old Roman warehouses.

The two hall-like structures were each 70 meters long and 20 meters wide. The walls, reaching up to 8 meters at their highest point, are still preserved today. Two parallel rows of arcatures can be seen along the long side walls, and the entrance is embellished with a well-preserved Roman brick floor.

The figure of Saint Jacob with the walking staff refers to St. Jacob’s Hospital in Trier. In the Middle Ages, wanderers found shelter there during their pilgrimage to the Apostle Jacob’s grave in Santiago de Compostela.

Later, the hospital became a refuge for the poor and weak. They were given food and a place to sleep. Today, the St. Jacob label on our bottles spreads our good name all over the world.

Our wines come from the most favorable positions on the Mosel and the Saar. When the Prussian government published the world’s first official vineyard classification in 1868, these locations were described in glowing terms. The reasons for this recognition are the steep slopes with their shale beds. The influence of the nearby river and the south-facing, wind-sheltered slopes create an ideal microclimate.

The grapes are early growers: early flowering leaves more time for ripening. Our Trierer Augenscheiner vineyard lies on weathered, variegated sandstone called Rotliegend. This also acts as a fine “storage radiator” for the grapes.

Some of our vineyards date back to Trier’s ancient monastic estates.

At present, we have a total of 25 hectares of vineyards under cultivation. 90% of this area is planted with Riesling grapes, and 10% with Pinot varieties: Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir.