Jan and Jens almost sound like the famous yin and yang. But the fact that opposing forces work together to great effect is not quite true in this case. Jan and Jens Orb may have attended different viticultural colleges (one in Geisenheim, the other in Neustadt), but they share a common philosophy when it comes to winemaking.
On the one hand, the two early 30-year-olds continue to serve their parents’ customer base, which has grown over decades, with classically vinified wines. On the other hand, since taking over the business in 2019, the two wine brothers have been transforming the traditional winery into a “wine think tank” for modern trend wines with innovative ideas.
Natural wines preferred
Some like nature – Jan and Jens make wine from it: and what a wine! Jens, the younger brother, spontaneously and creatively wrote names for the different wines on the wine tanks – they became brand names. The first ideas are often the best: the Orb brothers offer an ‘orange’, unfiltered Silvaner under the name SILVY VAN AIR, GANZ GROSSES VINO is a ‘cool’ mix of Müller-Thurgau, Kerner and Silvaner, AMPHITHEATER is a Gewürztraminer, OUT OF ORBIT is a Riesling. This is how the young generation produces contemporary wines today – the dialogue gastronomy in the big cities is a grateful customer for the wine creations without residual sugar.
The Orb family cultivates 13 hectares of vineyards around Westhofen in Rheinhessen. These include such illustrious names as Kirchspiel, Morstein and Westhofener Steingrube. More than half of the area is planted with Riesling – but Burgundy varieties are playing an increasingly important role.
Historic garden oasis
The historic ‘Garden Orb’ fits in perfectly with the dynamic brothers’ nature-loving wine philosophy. Over 200 years ago, their ancestors laid out a magnificent garden of around 2,500 square metres. The terraced garden was originally designed as a kitchen garden – but from the very beginning it also features elements of courtly pleasure gardens. Claudia Orb, the mother of the two brothers, uncovered the garden piece by piece in the 1990s and found many old rose bushes in the process. A rose garden was always her dream – which has been realised.
Today, around 200 rose bushes thrive in the garden and visitors can marvel at almost 80 different varieties. In the sheltered microclimate on the lowest terrace, the roses bloom several times a year. ‘I was particularly inspired by the ideas of garden designers Franz Sales Meyer, Friedrich Ries, Gertrude Jekyll and Penelope Hobhouse,’ explains Claudia Orb. The green oasis features shady meadows framed by flowering perennials. Thorny bushes grow on the remains of walls, and in this ‘Vogelsang’ you can hear many birds chirping, which find shelter here. Of course, a wetland biotope is also part of the grounds. Claudia Orb likes to cook (and cooks well!) – which is why many herbs grow on the top level: inspired by the herb garden of Hildegard von Bingen.
The magnificent natural garden is known throughout the region and can be visited on guided tours – a living example of Rhine-Hessian garden culture.
The prize for the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Award 2025 in the category ‘Architecture, Parks & Gardens’, focussing on parks and gardens, was awarded to the Orb winery in Westhofen. The jury was impressed by the cultivation of tradition and the thematic focus of the historic garden.
More information
To learn more about the winery visit website.
About the blogger
TV- and wine journalist Wolfgang Junglas is responsible for tv broadcasts such as “The Election of the German Wine Queen” in the entertainment editorial department at SWR Television in Mainz. He is also a writer, president of Weinfeder e. V., president of FIJEV and lecturer at Geisenheim University, Geisenheim.
Learn more about Rheinhessen and its wine capital Mainz in their page: Mainz | Rheinhessen