When the aroma of coffee wafts through the elegant breakfast room of the manor house in the morning, and homemade jam made with fruit from the garden is served alongside eggs from the farm's own chickens and warm rolls from the local bakery, the rural idyll is complete. The path from the guest rooms to breakfast leads through the park-like cottage garden: "Guests tell us that just walking through the garden relaxes them!" says Ulla Bernhard-Räder. Visitors enjoy the family atmosphere: those who are traveling are happy to find a piece of home!

The Bernhard-Räder Winery has existed in its current form since 1987 and is named after the Bernhard and Räder families—the business was passed down through the women of the families. Winegrowing dates back to 1818, as documented in cellar records—the buildings were partially constructed on the historic walls of a castle. Ulla Bernhard-Räder and her husband, Rüdiger Räder, from Hillesheim near Oppenheim, have transformed the mixed-use farm into a 32-hectare winery producing appealing wines.

The idea for guest rooms arose after German reunification. The Bernhard-Räder family participated in the wine festival in Chemnitz in the new federal states. Customers enjoyed the wine from Rheinhessen and were eager to visit the wine-growing region—but there weren’t many guest rooms available in the area at the time. So the family converted the barn behind the garden into a guesthouse. In addition to the Wine Experience House, which was renovated in 2020, they set up a garden house in the middle of the garden in 2022 with additional guest rooms—all on the ground floor and accessible to people with disabilities.

During her travels to wine-growing regions around the world, Ulla Bernhard-Räder gathered inspiration for the interior design of the guest rooms. The bathrooms are walk-in, and each room is individually decorated with different wine themes and color schemes. The green-themed Grape Room is dominated by photos from the vineyards, while the Wine Stone Room, decorated with real wine stones, has a warm purple color scheme that creates a cozy atmosphere. In the Lavender Room, a photo of daughter-in-law Alexandra Räder has been projected onto photo wallpaper. A local carpenter custom-made the furnishings for the rooms.

All family members are as individual as the interior design: Senior Rüdiger Räder is a master winemaker and takes care of the outdoor operations, the farm garden, and the wine tours with guests. His wife, Ulla Bernhard-Räder, is an ecotrophologist, personally welcomes guests, and is responsible for marketing. Their son Philipp is a viticultural technician and cellar master—vegan organic wines are one of his specialties. His wife Alexandra takes care of service and office work, as well as presentations and sales.

The winery's wine range focuses on regional varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Gewürztraminer, as well as Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Blanc. The red varieties on offer include Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, St. Laurent, Regent, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The interesting white and red wine cuvées are very popular. The barrique red wine cuvée "Ulrubera" – a feel-good wine based on a recipe by Ulla Bernhard-Räder – fits in perfectly with the feel-good concept of the triad of winery, guest rooms, and farm garden.

The Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award 2025 in the “Accommodations” category goes to the Bernhard-Räder Organic Winery & Guesthouse in Flomborn. The jury was impressed by the authentic atmosphere of the “vacation on a wine farm” and the warm, family-like hospitality shown to guests.

This is the third award for the dedicated winery, following the 2013 prize in the “Architecture, Parks, and Gardens” category and the 2016 award for “Sustainability.”

Wolfgang Junglas, a TV and wine journalist, works in the entertainment department at SWR Television in Mainz, where he produces programs such as “Election of the German Wine Queen.” He is an author, chairman of Weinfeder eV, president of FIJEV, and an adjunct lecturer at Geisenheim University—and, since 2021, the blogger for GWC Mainz | Rheinhessen.