30 million years ago, ocean waves lapped at the shore where countless grapevines now stand. Even today, when the wind sweeps across the rows of vines, it still looks like ocean waves—the region is in motion! The small wine village of Flonheim, in the heart of Rheinhessen, has always been a pioneer in winemaker cooperatives: as early as the 1970s, when many winemakers hadn’t yet considered collaborating, Flonheim winemakers were already organizing wine walks. Together with wine enthusiasts and a handcart carrying a small wine barrel, they made their way through the vineyards—even back then, Flonheim was on the move. In the 1980s, during the wine crisis, activities initially came to a halt.

But in 2007, the winegrowers’ community began to stir again—many gathered at a meeting and wanted to get involved in the community once more. Eleven wineries were ultimately committed to the idea: WineFloW was born.

Bernd Hammer was born in 1962 and is a winemaker at Meyerhof in Flonheim. He has been involved from the very beginning and has been chairman of the WineFloW eV association since 2017. "Our passion and enthusiasm for wine is what unites us," is how he describes the DNA of the association to me. In 2011, the association had a brilliant idea: "Trullo in Flames." Around Flonheim, there are two white trulli with round pointed roofs: these shelters in the vineyards, dating from the mid-18th century, were probably built by workers from Apulia who were working in the region's quarries at the time. Every year in the last week of April, the trulli are illuminated in bright light and wine lovers hike across six stations to a romantic wine tasting with delicious food at the trullo on the Adelberg.

In November, the village is once again bustling with activity: during "Flonheim schenkt ein" (Flonheim pours a glass), visitors stop off at the winegrowers' courtyards and can taste the wines in comfort on site – a shuttle bus is also available to take them between the wineries. The wineries also offer regional specialities.

In addition to Meyerhof, the Balz, Becher, Chumderhof, Dohlmühle, Espenhof, Geistermühle, Kampf, Klosterhof, Schnell, and Strubel-Roos wineries are also active on WineFloW.

These renowned wineries mainly produce white wine – in addition to the main variety Riesling, they also produce regional grape varieties such as Pinot Gris and Silvaner. Pinot Noir dominates among the red wines, while Dornfelder is losing importance. The wine producers are united by their terroir philosophy: the diversity of soils around Flonheim ensures wines with strong character, shaped by the soil. Bernd Hammer calls the predominant soil structure "parsley soil": red-lying, deep loess-loam overlay, with sandstone underneath, and even basalt in some places.

The WineFlow association allows visitors to experience the Flonheim terroir in its various forms: each winery has its own expertise and its own style of cultivation.

In addition to the terroir-influenced style, Bernhard Hammer has other flavor strategies: every year, he puts together new cuvées called "Sommerbrise" (summer breeze) or "Feierlaune" (party mood), which combine the strengths of the different soils and grape varieties.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flonheim wineries didn’t sit idle: Every Saturday through the end of October, they take turns hosting a wine tasting at the “Landjugendhäuschen.”

Great Wine Capitals has awarded WineFloW eV the “Best of Wine Tourism Award” for its innovative wine tourism experiences that have attracted attention beyond the region. The Flonheim winemakers are keeping things moving.