Unique Location
Weingut P.J. Valckenberg and its more than 500-year-old vineyards are located in the heart of the „Nibelung Town” of Worms on the banks of the Rhine.

Historical Ambience
Just a glance at the wine estate brings history to life. The Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche), a pilgrimage church since the late Middle Ages; the late Gothic (1460) Madonna statue, a work of art historical significance; and the former Capuchin monastery, which is part of the estate today ­ all lend the estate its historical ambience.

History
In the late Middle Ages Worms was a crossroads of the great trade routes and site of important ecclesiastical and imperial decisions. It was also a popular layover for pilgrims heading south. They prayed before the statue of the Madonna and refreshed themselves in the monastery with the wine the canons produced from the „Liebfrauen² vineyard. As such, the wine¹s fame was virtually predestined to spread far beyond the borders of Worms.

Peter Joseph Valckenberg
In 1786, the merchant Peter Joseph Valckenberg, a Dutch émigré to the Rhine, founded a wine business in Worms. He purchased the secularised monastery and the historical vineyard surrounding the Liebfrauenkirche in 1808. With his cosmopolitan outlook and good business contacts he laid the foundation for Valckenberg¹s international wine business.
Business flourished when he began exporting his wine to England and Scandinavia. The Swedish royal family, the Duke of Norfolk and the writer Charles Dickens were among the early customers. By the middle of the 19th century, the House of Valckenberg exported its wines worldwide. At the turn of the 20th century, British wine merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd sold wines from the Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück vineyard at prices on a par with the great growths of Bordeaux, e.g. Château Margaux and Château d¹Yquem.

Winemaker Tilman Queins...
...was appointed estate manager in 2001. His goal is to produce top-quality wines that reflect the distinctive character of this renowned vineyard site.

Quality Profile
Traditionally, Riesling is the most important grape variety (80%) cultivated in the Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück vineyard, supplemented by other varietals, such as Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc).
The grapes thrive in the nutrient-rich loam and loess soils with a substratum of fine stony particles. These soils impart an extraordinary mineral tone to the wines, coupled with refined fruit aromas. The vineyard¹s microclimate benefits from its proximity to the Rhine.
Limited yields and a selective hand-harvest of ripe, healthy berries are fundamental to our quality philosophy.
Vineyard maintenance measures are as ecologically-friendly as possible.
The grapes are pressed and the wines are fermented in historical vaulted cellars equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Slow fermentation and aging on the lies help us achieve our goal: to produce aromatic, harmonious wines.
Wines from the Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück vineyard have always been listed on the world¹s most prominent wine lists. We are a family-operated estate and feel it is our responsibility to continue to produce top-quality wines worthy of bearing the renowned appellation Liebfrauenstift-Kirchenstück of Worms.