Wine is life for us.
Our winery is far more than just a workplace – it's our home, our sanctuary, and our refuge. The soils where our vines grow are our capital, our foundation, and our very identity. We consider the vines our children; they are our responsibility and the reason we rise each day with passion. The wine we produce embodies our nature, our philosophy, and our being.
Our actions are determined by nature and its whims – we do not control it. It is a constant search for the right balance between yin and yang, between oxidation and reduction, between active intervention and letting things happen.
Vineyard
Understanding the soil and its vines is the foundation of our successful winemaking. We carefully observe how different soil types affect the growth and development of the vines and tailor our practices to their specific needs. This close connection and our knowledge of the soil's unique characteristics allow us to create wines that authentically reflect their origin and reveal new facets with each vintage.
Responsible management
Since 2016, we have cultivated our vineyards according to Bio Suisse guidelines. We are committed to transforming our vineyards from monocultures into a species-appropriate and diverse habitat. A central element of our philosophy is the use of compost tea in soil cultivation. This allows us to specifically promote the humus-forming population of microorganisms in the soil. The associated sowing of herbs, grasses, and flowering plants in our vineyards enables us to create diverse habitats. This measure connects our soil with the outside world and promotes biodiversity, as well as a healthy ecosystem.
For us, balance in the vineyard is central to everything we do. We don't manage the grapes according to the desired yield, but rather according to the potential of each individual vine. The goal is to create a balanced relationship between production and vine regeneration. This careful and sensitive approach allows us to largely forgo the use of fertilizers. It's another key element in our system of balance and sustainability.
Wine Cellar
The health of the grapes is the foundation of our quality
The health of our grapes is our top priority and forms the basis for the quality of our wines. For this reason, it goes without saying that we harvest all grapes by hand and carefully select them right in the vineyard. Each grape is vinified separately according to its origin – be it clone or vineyard site. We seek the appropriate vinification method for each individual batch, with the vintage playing a crucial role: While in warmer years we focus on preserving freshness, in cooler years our focus is more on structure. This results in distinctive and characterful wines year after year, authentically reflecting each vintage.
Nature decides our actions, not we nature.
Our philosophy in the cellar is shaped by nature – it sets the pace and determines our approach. We rely on spontaneous fermentation and usually allow the wines to mature for an extended period on the estate's own lees. This allows the wines to reflect our unique characteristics and preserve their individuality. We consciously avoid excessive use of new oak in order to bring out the fruit and natural structure of our wines.
Awards
The history of the Eichholz estate.
Late 1800s
With the canalization of the Rhine and the relocation of the main road to the Rhine plain, the "Eichholzweg" lost its importance as a trade route. As a result, the Eichholz estate lost its former glory and was subsequently used as a poorhouse and orphanage. In 1920, Jakob Hunger from Safien showed interest in Eichholz and purchased it from the municipality of Jenins for a relatively small sum. The farm served him and his family as a traditional agricultural operation with livestock.
Roman period
The draw well inside the vineyard, with a depth of 32 meters, is an impressive testament to the long and eventful history of the Eichholz estate. Its existence indicates that the roots of the property reach back to Roman times.
In that long-gone era, when the Rhine still flowed unregulated through the Rhine Valley, the Eichholz estate was situated on an important trade route between Chur and Maienfeld. According to tradition, the estate served as a horse-changing station. Merchants undertaking the arduous journey found a welcome resting place here to recover themselves and their animals before continuing their travels.
After 1945
After the Second World War, new opportunities opened up for the Hunger family. They began to gain a foothold in the transport industry, which gradually pushed agriculture into the background, and eventually they stopped keeping livestock altogether. This meant the estate was once again facing a fundamental change in its use.
The marriage of Irene Grünenfelder to Hans-Jakob Hunger marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Eichholz estate. As was common at the time, the family cultivated a small vineyard alongside their grassland. There, Irene gained her first insights into the work of a winemaker, and the idea of establishing her own winery soon took root.
Through various renovations of the old stables, Irene Grünenfelder was able to produce her first wine at Eichholz in 1995. With great dedication and willpower, she developed the estate into one of the leading wineries in the Bündner Herrschaft region. Since 2021, her son Johannes Hunger has also been working on the estate. Together, they are writing the next chapter in the Eichholz story.