Under the leadership of the Department of Education, Real Estate and New Construction and the Office for Construction and Real Estate, the City of Frankfurt is planning to lease the city's winery to a new tenant from January 1, 2026. Interested potential leaseholders can now apply with innovative concepts. The "Weingut Stadt Frankfurt am Main" brand and 23.3 hectares of vineyards in Hochheim, Mainz-Kostheim and Frankfurt (the vineyard on the Lohrberg) are up for lease. It also includes the listed estate building with production hall, wine cellar and a tavern in the old town of Hochheim, Aichgasse 11, as well as the vinotheque at Limpurgergasse 2 and the wine bar in the Römer in Frankfurt's old town. The leased properties are being offered in five lots, each for a lease term of 30 years. Information on the new leases can be found at weingut-stadt-frankfurt.de. The competition will also be advertised in national trade media and via winegrowing committees, associations and organizations.
"With the new lease of the municipal winery, we are striving for more ecological management, a modernization of the winery and, last but not least, contemporary marketing for our city that also appeals to young people," explains city councillor Sylvia Weber and adds: "This forms the basis for the competition. We are looking forward to many interested parties who want to work with the city of Frankfurt in viticulture and in marketing the products."
The city of Frankfurt is looking for tenants who will pay a fair market rent and run the vineyard in an economically sustainable manner. The vineyards are to be cultivated in accordance with good professional practice, ecologically sustainable, glyphosate-free, in line with biodiversity criteria and the Water Framework Directive and with a view to the organic cultivation of the future. Tenants should contribute to the city's marketing and profile through their economic activities. In doing so, the city is also following the trend in German viticulture, where young, well-trained winegrowers are currently establishing themselves with quality wines and fresh marketing.
To ensure professional quality, the city has brought in renowned experts from the wine industry and Geisenheim University to advise it. In addition, the award itself was created with the support of the agency "das Team", which is experienced in this field. The agency was able to effectively contribute over 30 years of consulting experience in the wine industry with close contacts to numerous winegrowers in the region as well as to the professional agencies and experience with the marketing of wineries.
The city of Frankfurt is one of the few major German cities to have its own vineyard within the urban area. The Lohrberg in the Seckbach district is part of the famous Rheingau wine-growing region and is a popular excursion destination with a view of the skyline. This vineyard has been owned by the city of Frankfurt since 1803.
The vineyard was run by the city itself until 1994 and has been leased out since then. The new award is in line with the Concession Award Ordinance, which stipulates that the terms of concessions should be limited. The newly awarded term of 30 years is based on the previous lease. The City of Frankfurt is now hoping and looking forward to receiving lively submissions with innovative and creative concepts for a bright future for the city's winery.
A jury will deliberate on the award of one or more tenants and the city council of the city of Frankfurt will decide on their recommendation.
