Grapevine getaway: Camp amongst the vines in Rheinhessen

On the Kloppberg in Dittelsheim-Heßloch, Heike and Ralf Hungermüller - or "the Hungies" for short - have built up their young winery with a lot of heart and grape juice. As a modern winemaking couple with the motto "Filled with Love", they press a fresh wine here with their team. Since 2021, the two share their unique spot in the south of Rheinhessen with you as Hinterland hosts. The best thing is that you can park your van right where the action is, among the vines with a panoramic view of the valley. As guests, you can of course also taste their wine at any time and, if you feel like it, even help with the harvest in September.

"We love having camper guests with us in the vineyards, because there's always a lot of inspiration and exchange in the visits for us, too," Heike tells us. "And if you are a little interested in our vocation and the business, of course our hearts go out to you. In our cellar with its huge stainless steel tanks, we'll be happy to show you more about winemaking or see individually if you want to do a wine tasting." Here, however, no one is beaten to death with a two-hour wine lecture, unless you want to delve deeper into the subject. It can also happen that the two spontaneously invite you to a glass of wine in their kitchen. But at the Hungermüllers', you will primarily have plenty of peace and space to switch off. 

Heike and Ralf, who both come from winemaking families, took over the family business from his parents. Ralf is actually a computer scientist and works here in his spare time - Heike completed extra training as a winemaker and has since devoted herself exclusively to wine. And the two also enjoy spending time in the vineyard in their free time and love going on picnics with their two children.

"Our area has not been reclaimed, so the paths and vineyards are very pristine and characterize the landscape," says Heike. That means lots of old trees, encounters with deer, pheasants, hares and foxes, and a lot of wilderness feeling. "Once, when we accompanied a young couple staying here up the mountain in the dark, a hare ran in front of the car and the guest asked, quite startled, 'Are there wild animals here?' Our answer: 'Wild yes. Dangerous? No!' " Heike recounts with a laugh. So no matter what back-to-nature level you like: You're in good hands here!

The Hungermüller family is relatively relaxed about the fact that deer are also keen on the young shoots in the vineyards. "That's just part of the game when you move toward organic viticulture, as we do. We want to promote biodiversity and pay particular attention to cultivation that is close to nature and environmentally friendly," Heike explains further. "Greening of the vineyards, compost instead of fertilizer, minimized use of pesticides and application with gentle technology ensure the preservation of the habitats of beneficial insects living in the vineyards, so also the balance of nature." Her favorite animals are definitely the buzzards: "They fly over the vineyards and always sit so majestically on the sticks, to which the wires for the vines are attached." And: They don't eat grapes, of course....

Vineyard snail or wandering bird? Here you will always find the right route! From the Kloppberg you can look over the Rhine plain, to the Odenwald and over to the Taunus, on clear days even to Frankfurt. The Odenwald is beautiful for excursions (about 35 minutes from here), but the Pfälzerwald and Hunsrück are also within the radius (about 50 minutes). There is also the relatively newly developed BohnErzWeg, which leads through the vineyards near the site. Or the Westhofener Wingertsheisjer hiking trail, where you can pass historic vineyard cottages and enjoy fantastic views. You can also walk along the Way of St. James from here. Too strenuous? Heike has a tip: "Worms is not far from us, it's rather Holland-flat, if you want to cycle, for example."

But no matter what you undertake: As provisions for your excursions, Heike and Ralf will pack you a vintner's picnic on request. Look forward to regional delicacies in a cotton bag with bread from the local bakery, cheese, spread from the delicatessen in Worms and/or sausage from the butcher. Plus cookies from the chocolaterie and, of course, a bottle of wine. Tadaah: A typical Hessian winegrower's meal, just as you traditionally get it at the grape harvest: Weck, Wurscht un Woi. Oh yes: Of course, you don't have to make a trip for this - the vintner's picnic also tastes great directly on site at the camping table.

The question remains, which wine is the best? "That's a super difficult question for winemakers. But Müller-Thurgau is particularly close to our hearts," says Heike. "It has a shadowy existence on the supermarket shelves and is at the bottom of the list, but we want to change that with our 2019. Depending on the temperature, it is sometimes a fruit bomb, sometimes a very restrained wine. Very diverse, in fact. Just like your stay with Heike and Ralf in Rheinhessen.