"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.

"Tomorrow it will be ten years ago," says Carolin Spanier-Gillot, sounding somewhat surprised. "We were young," she says with a laugh, "I had just started at the winery here in Bodenheim—and if you don't start things then, when will you?" And how they took off: Carolin Gillot, one of Rheinhessen's first outstanding winemakers, fresh from graduating in Geisenheim, and her husband Hans Oliver Spanier, rebel and radical winemaker from the Battenfeld-Spanier winery in Hohensülzen.

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

It was their strict focus on excellence that drove the two young winemakers to new horizons—and that included the packaging. In the old park with the historic villa, they built a wine shop made of exposed concrete with huge windows and ultra-modern interior design. It was one of the first modern wine shops in Rheinhessen, and it stood for 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, a soft beige. The walls are made of rubbed lime, the floor is made of warm woods – organic materials surround us. The golden color comes from hammered aluminum, and the walls are adorned with pictures of the Rheinhessen terroir. "It was a rocky

road," says Spanier-Gillot, adding that the temptation to take the easy way out was great at times. "You can't imagine how often we get offers from discounters," says Spanier-Gillot, but they have all been rejected: the brand must not be diluted. Today, the Spanier-Gillot team is one of the leading wineries in Rheinhessen, their wines are Champions League caliber and are exported to 28 countries worldwide.

Feinschmecker magazine voted her wines the best collection of 2015, and Spanier-Gillot herself was named Winemaker of the Year by Falstaff. Her Riesling was voted Germany's best Riesling by the renowned Gault Millau – her hard work is paying off. "We have managed to be defined by 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, which is historic soil, yet they remain grounded in Rheinhessen. In the wine bar, Spanier-Gillot personally shows guests to their tables on this gourmet dinner evening and fulfills even the smallest wishes with warm ease. "Liquid Life" is the name of the latest gourmet concept that combines wine, exquisite food, and beautiful surroundings. "I love being a hostess," laughs Spanier-Gillot, "I do everything I can to make my guests happy."