Blog "Gut Leben am Morstein 2"
Culture in the heart of the wine province
How a regular "culture vulture" became a cultural event organizer: In 2012, Stefan Spies stumbled upon a small winegrower's castle with a vineyard and wine cellar for sale in Westhofen. When he saw the vaulted cellar for the first time, he knew immediately: "This is where culture belongs!" The vault reminded him of the famous Unterhaus cabaret theater in Mainz, where he often watched comedy shows as a member of the audience. He could literally see the artists on stage in the wine cellar and hear the laughter and applause of the audience!
When renovating the historic building with its outbuildings and outdoor facilities, the successful owner of a marketing agency planned attractive performance opportunities in addition to a restaurant, vineyard, and hotel: for Stefan Spies, enjoyable food and drink are part of the overall artistic experience.
A cabaret stage in the vaulted cellar with lighting and sound technology, 200 bright red seats for the audience, and a foyer with an artists' dressing room round off "GUT LEBEN am Morstein." The look of the cabaret stage is somewhat reminiscent of the Unterhaus. For the summer, he has created open-air event venues in the historic courtyard and on the terrace in the vineyard.
And the program? Where does the Rheinhesse artist find the performers? "I put together the cultural program for myself, because I enjoy it: I have to like the artists!" is the credo of the stage program creator. He tries to be present at all events.
At the beginning, Dr. David Maier, cultural coordinator for the city of Worms, and Ludwig Jantzer from the Frankfurter Hof in Mainz gave him valuable tips on which artists might be a good fit for Morstein—today, he plans the program on his own.
Stefan Spies responded to the pandemic creatively: he set up the Morstein Culture Festival "GUT LEBEN im Sommer" (GOOD LIFE in Summer) virtually overnight: with artists from the region, but also well-known names from the music and cabaret scene, he attracted audiences to the province. Twelve events took place between May and September 2020 – and due to its success, Stefan Spies repeated the festival in subsequent years.
Big names such as Wolfgang Niedecken from BAP and comedian Tobias Mann have already performed on the Morstein stage. Visitors initially came to Westhofen from Worms and the surrounding area, but the radius has now expanded to include the Mannheim-Ludwigshafen area in the south and Mainz in the north.
Wine also plays a role at the festival – it is a recurring theme throughout the Morstein facility. The ensemble also includes a vineyard in the Morstein area, which is leased to the renowned Wittmann winery.
Which artist would he like to see perform on his stage? "Herbert Grönemeyer or Udo Lindenberg would be great – but that's probably just a dream!" What is not a dream, however, is "GUT LEBEN am Morstein": here, Stefan Spies has created an impressive Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) centered around culture, enjoyment, and wine.
With this unique event location, "GUT LEBEN am Morstein" clearly deserves the Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award 2022 in the "Art & Culture" category.