Location on the Middle Rhine
Brey lies on the left bank of the Rhine at approximately Rhine kilometre 581 in the growing area Mittelrhein. The wine-growing site Hämmchen is located in a left-hand side valley about 1.5 kilometres from the Rhine.
Vineyard Hämmchen
The Hämmchen lies at around 140 to 180 metres above sea level, is oriented south-south-east, and has slope gradients of roughly 30 to 50 per cent; individual sections exceed 50 per cent. The soil consists predominantly of siliceous gall slate. For the site, around 550 to 650 millimetres of rainfall per year and comparatively stable temperatures are given in connection with the Rhine valley and the slate slopes.
Re-establishment and cultivation
After the last existing vineyard in Brey was abandoned following the 2003 harvest, the Breyer Hämmchen wine fraternity was founded on 22 March 2005 to resume winegrowing. The vineyard covers around one hectare and more than 5,000 Riesling vines. The work on the steep slope is carried out predominantly by voluntary members and includes, among other things, vine pruning, leaf work, mulching, irrigation, plant protection and hand harvesting. The maturation is carried out using the Guyot system with a fruiting cane and a short renewal spur per vine.
Riesling and wine maturation
The first documented harvests from the restored vineyard date from 2007 and 2008. The Hämmchen is designated as a single site in the Loreley area of the growing area Mittelrhein. The Rieslings produced there are matured depending on the vintage as dry, semi-dry, delicate or residual-sweet. For the 2025 vintage, from about 4,500 litres of must, dry and semi-dry late harvest wines were produced; the winemaking and maturation were handled by the Müller-Winzers family in Spay.
