This is the wine that Martin Luther loved, a slightly stronger white wine with a full body and lots of ripe notes – the golden yellow Malvasier is one of the oldest grape varieties. "Until 1720, the entire Rote Hang in Nierstein was covered with Malvasier," says Dagmar Rückrich-Menger. Today, the H.L. Menger winery in Eich, Rheinhessen, is one of the few places where Malvasier is still grown in Germany. It was the Mengers who saved the grape variety from extinction – but that's not the only reason for the Best of Wine Tourism Award 2020.

Sustainability is the category in which the Mengers received the GWC Award, and if sustainability means preservation, care, endurance, and a heart for historical heritage, then there could hardly have been a better place for it. The Menger family has been recorded in the small town of Eich on the banks of the Rhine since 1651 as winegrowers, landowners, and mayors of their town.

"I am the twelfth male generation in direct succession," says Horst Menger. His most intense red wine is named after his grandfather, a cavalry captain. His mother exported Menger wines to Great Britain in the 1930s, during the heyday of Liebfrauenmilch. "According to the old rule, we are here at the border of the original Liebfrauenmilch region," said Horst Menger. Eich is so close to Worms that the old saying still applies here: "As far as the shadow of the church tower falls, Liebfrauenmilch grows."

Today, there is no more Liebfrauenmilch at the winery, as the famous brand had become too old-fashioned. "I love Riesling, but only Riesling is boring," said Horst with a smile. The family owns 15 hectares of vineyards, spread across no fewer than six municipalities – the nearest vineyard is four kilometers away, the furthest 40. "It's just fun to try different things," said Menger, "if I like a grape variety, I want to grow it too."

And so the wine list includes Burgundy wines as well as Scheurebe and Gewürztraminer, Temperanillo, Saint Laurent, and Syrah. More than 30 years ago, Dagmar Rückrich-Menger decided to register as a conservation breeder for Malvasier—the grape variety was virtually extinct in Germany at the time. "My grandfather cultivated the breed," she says, saving the old clones from her grandfather's vineyard. "It's my hobby," laughs Dagmar, "I treat myself to a grape variety."

The Malvasier they produce here today is either dry or sweet, but they don't know where her grandfather got the vines. However, it was in Worms that Martin Luther once spoke the famous words at the Imperial Diet of 1521: "Here I stand, I can do no other" – and thus defied Emperor Charles V. Perhaps that is why the winegrowers in the region still insist so stubbornly and willingly on their individuality today...

In any case, the Mengers in Eich have a penchant for enjoyment and good food. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Mengers liked to invite their guests to barbecues, where they would grill venison fillet and wild boar sausage, or sometimes rabbit. They are passionate hunters here; it is part of their sustainability philosophy: "Game meat is the most organic meat there is," says Horst, "and ultimately, hunting is also about reverence and respect for the animal."

Since 2003, hunting painter Dieter Schiele has been designing the labels for their hunting wines, and the Mengers try to lower their guests' inhibitions about enjoying game with "wine & game" events. "Many people have reservations about game meat, even though they've usually never tried it," says Horst. For him, hunting is a way to enjoy nature and appreciate what the environment has to offer. Enjoyment, appreciation, and heritage are also reflected in the "Kuhkappelle," which now houses the wine bar, as well as the barrique cellar, where wine tastings take place.

And at the front of the farm gate, an old grapevine climbs upwards. It is an Ingram Muscat, an old grape variety that was considered extinct – until the Mengers discovered an old vine at his mother's house: a genetic analysis in the laboratory revealed the surprise. "You use what you need from nature, but you also preserve it," says Dagmar, "that's our philosophy."