The winery is located in the municipality of Eichstetten (Kaiserstuhl area) in the German wine-growing region of Baden. It was founded in 1851 by Friedrich Kiefer. In 2008, the winery was taken over by Helen and Martin Schmidt (oenologist); Markus Weishaar is responsible as cellar master. Grapes from an affiliated producer association and from their own stock are processed. The total area is 145 hectares. The company's own vineyards cover 12 hectares in the Herrenbuck vineyard (Eichstetten). The red wine variety Pinot Noir (around 40%), as well as the white wine varieties Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Scheurebe, Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc are processed.
Natural, environmentally friendly viticulture is practised through permanent cover crop with clover, vetches and beans, as well as the promotion of beneficial insects such as predatory mites, ladybirds and lacewings through the sowing of wild herbs. Quality criteria are reduced yields through short pruning, defoliation, consistent thinning and selective hand harvesting. The production of organic wine from organic viticulture is around 10%.
The white wines are fermented slowly and cool after intensive must pre-clarification, predominantly by sedimentation, matured on the fine yeast and gently filtered. The red wines from the Herrenbuck vineyard are fermented on the skins and mature for a long time in large wooden barrels and partly also in barriques. The premium wines include Pinot Noir Innovation, Pinot Noir Dreistern, Sauvignon Blanc matured in barrique and Pinot Gris Dreistern. Sparkling wines and bottle-fermented sparkling wines are also produced. The annual production is 1.25 million bottles. The winery is a member of the Generation Riesling association.
