Gut Sommerau

The wine merchant Adolph Hüsgen from Traben-Trarbach founded the Sommerau winery in 1898 by purchasing large hedgerow and forest areas on the southern slope of the Sommerauer valley basin. He established 6 hectares of vineyard and a pond for irrigation, and restored the castle ruins. A management and pressing house were added, where grapes were fed into the press operating with water pressure from above – a very modern solution for that time.

In the 1960s, the winery was sold to the Peter Mertes family winery from Bernkastel-Kues, which acquired more estates over the decades and relocated the pressing and wine development of Sommerau grapes to Bernkastel starting in 1990. The old pressing house stood empty from then on until the owning family decided in 2010 to comprehensively renovate the building and repurpose it. Today, guests can enjoy delicious Italian cuisine with a view of the vineyards in close proximity to the Sommerau castle ruins.