"Would you like to sit inside or outside?" asks the hostess, completely relaxed. Inside is the right answer today—even though it's June, it's pouring rain outside. What a shame, because the garden is one of the highlights of this winery: centuries-old trees and beautiful lawns surrounding the Art Nouveau villa from 1913. The Kühling-Gillot winery is famous for this garden – and for what the junior managers have put in it: a radically modern wine bar. No wonder they won the 2016 Great Wine Capital Tourism Award in the Architecture, Gardens & Parks category.

"It’ll be ten years tomorrow," says Carolin Spanier-Gillot, and she sounds somewhat surprised. "We were young," she says with a laugh, "I had just started working at the winery here in Bodenheim—and if you don’t start things then, when will you?" And what a start they got off to: Carolin Gillot, one of Rheinhessen’s first outstanding female winemakers, fresh out of Geisenheim with her degree, and her husband Hans Oliver Spanier, a rebel and radical winemaker from the Battenfeld-Spanier winery in Hohensülzen.

Together, they revolutionized how Rheinhessen views wine with crystal-clear white wines full of mineral smoothness and a rich array of aromas. “My husband revolutionized the wine style,” says Spanier-Gillot, and that’s no exaggeration. Consistently biodynamic, radical in their approach to the point of extremity, and always with an absolute focus on quality—ten years ago, people in Rheinhessen marveled at the Spanier-Gillot duo. “There’s hardly a winery that has undergone such a radical transformation,” says Spanier-Gillot.

It was their unwavering focus on excellence that drove the two young winemakers to explore new horizons—and that included the packaging. In the old park with its historic villa, they built a wine shop made of exposed concrete, featuring huge windows and a state-of-the-art interior design. It was one of the first modern wine bars in Rheinhessen, and it symbolized a new beginning as well as a claim to greatness. “If you want to sell a wine for 130 euros, you can’t just open the garage door and play ‘Garage Winery,’” says Spanier-Gillot.

And yet the modern style is far from cold: warm colors dominate the interior—a deep dark brown, an intense red, and a soft beige. The walls are made of rubbed lime, the floor of warm woods—we’re surrounded by organic materials. The golden hue comes from hammered aluminum; on the walls hang images of the Rheinhessen terroir.

“It was a rocky road,” says Spanier-Gillot; the temptation to take the easy way out was strong at times. “You can’t imagine how often we get offers from discounters,” says Spanier-Gillot, but they were all turned down: the brand must not be diluted. Today, the Spanier-Gillot team ranks among Rheinhessen’s leading wineries; their wines are top-tier and are exported to 28 countries worldwide.

Feinschmecker magazine named her wines the best collection of 2015, and Spanier-Gillot herself was named Winemaker of the Year by Falstaff. And her Riesling was voted Germany’s best Riesling by the renowned Gault Millau—her unwavering dedication is paying off. “We’ve managed to make a name for ourselves through our single-vineyard wines,” says Spanier-Gillot, “when you think of Pettenthal, you very quickly think of Kühling-Gillot.”

Pettenthal is part of the famous Roter Hang—it’s historic ground—and yet, here in Rheinhessen, they naturally keep their feet on the ground. In the wine bar, Spanier-Gillot personally seats guests at their tables on this gourmet dinner evening and fulfills even the smallest requests with warm ease. “Liquid Life” is the name of the latest gourmet concept that seamlessly blends wine, exquisite food, and the beautiful surroundings. “I love being a hostess,” laughs Spanier-Gillot, “and I’ll do anything to make sure my guests are happy.”