The Family 

Heinrich Nepomuk Steiert (1880-1967)

As early as in the 1920’s, the wines by Heinrich Nepomuk Steiert were standing for highest standards. He was also one of the founders of the Association of German Natural Wine Auctions – the forerunner of today’s VDP.

Anneliese und Benno Salwey 

His daughter Anneliese (1916-2000) married Benno Salwey (1912-1976) After World War II they resettled in Kaiserstuhl. Together, they ran her family’s farm with a mixed focus on agriculture and wine.

Wolf-Dietrich Salwey (1941-2011)

Their son, Wolf-Dietrich Salwey, exponded the production of wines and distillates. Thanks to his efforts and vision, he brought back the image of Baden as Germany’s top region for Burgundy wines, in particular Pinot Noir.

Moreover, he was an active supporter of the VDP.Baden, leading Salwey winery to become the first member of its region.

The vineyard 

The 35ha-vineyards are surrounded by the Alsatian Vosges Mountains in the west and the Black Forest Mountains in the east. The climate is strongly influenced by the Rhine valley and warm winds from Burgundy. Approximately 1800 hours of sun a year, adequate rainfalls and winds create a pleasant Mediterranean weather. This makes the Kaiserstuhl home to rare species like green lizards, bee-eaters, cactus and figs.

13-15 Million years ago, the soil has been influenced by eruptions, movements of tectonic plates (Rheingraben) and sand storms coming all the way from Africa. Today, remnants of this past like different lava, magma, volcanic stones and loess create a unique soil mineralization and terroir composition. This gives each wine its very own character.