Westhofen in southern Rheinhessen has long been known for its great wines and fine dining, but now there is a new temple of culinary delights here. "Gut Leben am Morstein" (Good Life at Morstein) is the name and mission of the beautiful Victorian villa that stands at the entrance to Westhofen. Stefan Spies calls it "our little castle," but the impressive building is only a small part of the project: "Gutes Leben" includes a gourmet restaurant, a hotel with a conference area in the old barn, and a huge vaulted cellar where famous actors, chamber musicians, and cabaret artists alike perform.

The villa was completed in 1899 for winemaker and landowner Valentin Keller, and it was remarkable not only for its turrets and ornamentation: "Keller wanted a showcase winery and had it designed by a well-known architect from the region," says Spies. We stand in the villa's entrance hall on a beautiful mosaic floor, the walls lined with deep dark panels.

The rooms with their high ceilings, antique furniture, and dark polished wooden floors exude dignity and prosperity, warmth and welcome. Here, on the ground floor, is the gourmet restaurant of the "Gut Leben." "Everything here is still original," says Spies, "the whole building looks practically the same as it did when the Kellers lived here."

Well, not quite. When Stefan Spies bought Villa Keller five years ago, it was practically a ruin. Over the decades, the Kellers had lost their glamour and their money, and there had been virtually no renovations. The villa stood completely empty for eleven years. "I fell in love with the building immediately," says Spies, "precisely because everything here still looked the same as it did 100 years ago."

Spies is the son of a winegrowing family from neighboring Dittelsheim, and 16 years ago he founded his own PR agency in Frankfurt. "I wasn't really looking for an investment," says the 48-year-old dryly, "but I knew I wanted to preserve and develop this wonderful place."

After about three years of renovation, Gut Leben opened its doors in fall 2017. Spies initially decided to offer vegan gourmet cuisine, a difficult choice for the more down-to-earth people of Rheinhessen. Today, Gut Leben also serves high-quality meat and fish as well as regional products. Outside in the courtyard, the "Weingarten" served regional specialties to accompany the excellent Rheinhessen wines, right next to the old barn, which now houses a modern conference center.

Spies and his team quickly realized that there was a lack of accommodation, then discovered that the adjacent old farm was for sale. The old 17th-century farmhouse was beautifully restored, and its cozy, lovingly furnished hotel rooms exude a sense of the past while offering all modern comforts.

For the most fascinating part of the ensemble, however, we have to descend into the underworld: behind a huge double gate, a steep cellar staircase leads down into a huge vault. "When we bought it, large oak barrels were stored down here," says Spies. The cellar extends 35 meters into the ground and is equipped with state-of-the-art accessories such as lifts and ventilation.

Spies divided the cellar into two parts, and now there is a stylish banquet hall with 100 seats on the left. The floor is made of elegant sandstone slabs in light beige, which "float" on pebbles to keep the cold at bay. On the right, however, there is a black vaulted ceiling with rows of bright red chairs, and classical concerts or cabaret nights take place on the stage at the front.

Lars Reichow and André Eisermann have already been here – it is precisely this combination of wine, good food, and culture that earned Gut Leben the Great Wine Capitals' Best of Award 2019. For the first time, the jury awarded not just one, but two prizes to the same location. "I think," says Spies, "we can contribute to revitalizing the local cultural scene – and bring some glamour to Rheinhessen."