It always sounds so simple: “a family business.” But what does that mean in everyday life? Above all, it means a great deal of dedication, empathy, understanding across generations, a lot of patience, and sustained relationship-building. When it works, it’s a perfect combination. At Erbeldingers in Rheinhessen, it works exceptionally well: The entire family is passionately committed to building personal connections with their customers.

When direct contact with their long-standing customers was limited during the pandemic, the family produced entertaining video clips and posted them online. With short personal stories and the digital video wine advisor featuring daughter Gudrun Erbeldinger, contact is maintained online. The strength of the family business is particularly evident during tastings in the on-site wine shop. With Rheinhessen naturalness, everyone—mother Edith, father Stefan, daughter Gudrun, and daughter-in-law Gundi—helps guests find the right wine, sip by sip. This is what you call sustainable customer care.

Stefan handed over the business to his son Christoph at an early stage – the young winemaker has been running the winery since 2022. The practical man learned his craft at the Weegmüller winery in the Palatinate. The wines are aged in stainless steel tanks and traditional large wooden barrels. Since 2024, the conversion of the 27-hectare winery to organic cultivation has been completed. The 2023 vintage is the first certified organic vintage. Sustainability is also evident in the details: customers' empty wine bottles are taken back, rinsed, and reused. No long distances: the vineyards are all located within a 15-kilometer radius of the winery. The vines grow on very different soils and in different microclimates.

The Erbeldingers play to their particular strength with their wide range of wines: customer focus. The winery offers a wide variety of grape varieties. Classic white wines such as Riesling and Pinot Blanc – as well as Huxelrebe, Gelber Muskateller, and Scheurebe. Those who are not interested in grape varieties can stick to the themed wines: "Wine after work" is a white wine cuvée made from different grape varieties, which is simply meant to be enjoyed after work. "Herzklopfen" (heartbeat) is the name of the velvety dry red wine counterpart. The Erbeldingers think about wine from the customer's perspective – who is more concerned with taste than grape varieties.

Classic grape varieties such as Pinot Noir, St. Laurent, Portugieser, and Dornfelder dominate the red wine selection, but exotic varieties such as Syrah and Cabernet Franc are also available. Wine connoisseurs are particularly interested in the high-quality Cuvée E from Gundersheimer Höllenbrand. Erbeldingers produce customer-friendly sparkling wines in various grape varieties: from Riesling and Pinot Blanc to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir as red wine and rosé sparkling wine, but also non-alcoholic sparkling wines are on the wine list.

Customer loyalty is also fostered through culinary delights: Christoph’s partner, Gundi, is from Tyrol and treats guests to delicious dishes from her fusion cuisine at various events held at the winery. Regional artists perform at these events from time to time. The clientele appreciates this: many have been loyal customers for generations. Throughout the year, visitors can sample the wines with personalized guidance—and twice a year during the tasting days, they can also enjoy a supporting program. The Erbeldingers truly take care of their guests.

The Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award 2024 in the “Sustainability in Wine Tourism” category goes to “Weingut Erbeldinger.” The jury was impressed by the winery’s passionate commitment to customer service and organic winemaking—and the public also chose the winery for the “People’s Choice Award.”