HISTORY

The history of the estate goes back to 1897.  In 1897, Eduard Puricelli’s widow bought the entire Würtzberg in Serrig, which was cultivated with tease, from the fellowship in Serrig. A few years later (1903) the Prussian minister of state Clemens Freiherr von Schorlemer zu Lieser, who married Maria Puricelli (daughter of Eduard Puricelli), built a magnificent, castle-like estate in neo-renaissance style at the entrance of the mountain high above the river Saar. The couple lived in Schloss Lieser in the Moselle region, which Maria inherited from her father Eduard Puricelli in 1895. The workers and the estate director lived in the Würtzberg estate in Serrig.

On April 5, 1905, the baron finally inaugurated the estate in Serrig. In addition to the entire von Schorlemer family, Pastor Honeff, Freiherr von Fürstenberg, Mr. Edmund von Boch and family, Mister District Administrator Dr. Brückmann, Mayor Kirsten, master builder Flacke and teacher Rommelfangen were present.

On March 13, 1898, the first vine was planted by Mrs. Puricelli herself. In the years that followed, the parcels in the Serriger Würtzberg and Serriger Herrenberg sites were diligently expanded. After its completion, the winery comprised around 15 hectares of vineyards, making it the second largest winery in Serrig after what was then the “Serriger Domäne”. After the Second World War, Baron Herman von Schorlemer and Baroness Ina von der Schulenburg lived in the winery with their family, which they managed until the end of the sixties.Today, the two sites are still in sole proprietorship of the estate owners – no other winery has ever owned a parcel in the two vineyards.

During 1960s, Bert Simon, bought the Serriger Herrenberg and Würtzberg sites and shortly thereafter also the accompanying building with all its facilities. Bert Simon did not only plant Riesling but also Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.  He was a pioneer in the Saar region when he planted Pinot Noir in the mid-1980s – which was shortly after it was allowed to plant red grape varieties in the Moselle region.

From 2006 to 2016 the winery and the associated vineyards were owned by Dr. Jochen Siemens who lived on the winery (Weingut Dr. Siemens) and produced with the help of Franz Lenz wine.

The Heimes family have lived in the estate’s living quarter since summer 2016 and has been running the business with the support of Franz Lenz. The young winemaker Felix Heimes took over responsibility for the winery in 2018 with great enthusiasm and entrepreneurship in order to bring together the tradition while integrating new ways of working. One of his first projects was to plant a new 2.5-hectare vineyard with Riesling and Auxerrois.

In the winter of 2016, the tasting room was opened, which is located in the connecting wing of the estate and is open to visitors several days a week. Visits can stop by and taste the wines. Additionally, the winery offers scheduled tastings all year round. Events such as the SaarRieslingSommer, courtyard party, Christmas market take place in the big courtyard or the garden.

ARCHITECTURE

At the entrance to the hillside, perched high above the Saar River, Baron Schorlemer built a magnificent, castle-like winery building complete with an estate manager’s residence. The estate was designed as a walled, elongated courtyard complex with a manor house, press house, and carriage house, arranged in a gabled sequence of freestanding structures. It was inaugurated in 1905.

Beneath the press hall lies a two-level cellar composed of twin rows of segmental barrel vaults. The single-storey buildings, shaped in understated Renaissance style, are constructed of slate rubble stone with red sandstone accents. The slate-clad roofs vary in form, adding rhythm to the ensemble. The southern edge of the estate, aligned with the rock face, is occupied by the residential house. Its ground floor, the central living level, features a series of rooms of varying sizes. All rooms on the ground and first floors are accessed via a central hallway—a characteristic element of English country houses. At the heart of the residence is a bright, airy dining room with sweeping views of the Saar. The living room boasts a classic coffered ceiling and an open fireplace.

The steep hipped roof with attic space is animated on its façades by elegantly curved dormer gables. On the south gable, now draped in wild vines, rests the coat of arms of the original builder. The press house is also marked by a curved gable, while the carriage house features a clipped gable roof. In the mid-20th century, the individual buildings were connected by structural additions, resulting in a stylistically cohesive architectural ensemble. Regular heritage-sensitive renovations have been carried out, such as the restoration of original windows.

Today, the former Prussian estate—comprising over 32 hectares of parkland, vineyards, meadows, forest, the courtyard ensemble, manor house, wine shop, guest apartment, press house, and cellar—is officially recognized as the “Würtzberg Heritage Zone” and is owned by the Heimes family. The protected site also includes over two kilometers of dry-stacked slate walls, some rising up to six meters high, and a slate stairway that climbs more than 200 vertical meters from the riverbank to the forest edge.