Schloss Westerhaus

As a fief of the Electorate of Palatinate, Schloss Westerhaus was owned by the Counts of Ingelheim for over 400 years until it was expropriated by French Revolutionary troops at the beginning of the 19th century.

First, a route was laid from Altegasse, Ingelheim, up to Westerhaus, and then the construction of a rack railway began.

The appearance of the two-part complex with its castle courtyard and service yard is characterised by the conversion and extension work carried out between 1922 and 1927.

The resulting irrigation and new agricultural methods such as deep ploughing and the first mechanisation significantly increased the economic success.

In the 1930s, Irmgard von Opel was probably the best rider in the world at that time in cross-country riding and show jumping.

She won many competitions at home and abroad, and in 1934 she was the first woman to win the German show jumping derby in Klein-Flottbek (now part of Hamburg) with her grey horse Nanuk.

It is characterised by park-like open spaces, paddocks and riding arenas surrounded by old trees.

They planted trees and invited walkers to enjoy the view from the hill and laid out a wine trail.

The jazz events and the traditional 3-day courtyard festival at Whitsun, which are held in the grounds of the castle, are well-known and popular beyond the region.

The winery cultivates a total of 18 hectares of vineyards in the monopole Ingelheimer Schloss Westerhaus,[2] as well as in the Sonnenhang, Schlossberg, Sonnenberg and Klostergarten sites.

A limestone reef with a thickness of 90 meters covered by 50 centimeters soil is the backbone of the terroir.

Schloss Westerhaus first appeared on the DM list of Germany's 100 best wineries in 1987, and since 1990 has repeatedly been ranked among the world's 1000 best estates.