About us
Son Amaret is a new addition to the Mallorcan wine market, but the history behind it goes back over 225 years. Our family, originally from the Kaiserstuhl in southern Baden and Freiburg im Breisgau, has a long tradition in viticulture. For us, viticulture is not only a tradition, but also a matter of pride and honor. These values form the basis for Son Amaret’s high-quality wines and create trust among our customers. Find out more about the history and passion behind our wines.
The history of the family can be traced back to around 1650. Before this time, Europe was ravaged by the 30 Years’ War, which resulted in the destruction of numerous older documents. Towards the end of the 18th century, members of the Bühler family were active as innkeepers in Ihringen.
Advertisement in “Weinland Baden-Württemberg” from 1959
The occupation of Johann Jacob Bühler, born in 1763, was given as “Wirt zum Rebstock” and “Wirt zur Stube”. This is the first recognizable reference to wine. His son Johann Georg Bühler, born in 1793, had the job title “Stubenwirt”, but was also referred to as “Gutsbesitzer”. Johann Jacob Bühler died in 1801 and left this “estate” to his son Johann Georg Bühler. In a publication from 1959, the later Bühler Söhne winery in Freiburg refers to this tradition with the phrase “Family property in Ihringer Winklerberg (Kaiserstuhl) since 1796”.
This is the oldest evidence found to date of the Bühler family’s own wine-growing activities.
Advertisement in “Mein Heimatland” from 1927
An advertisement from September 1927 for “Fritz Bühler Söhne – Weinbau / Weingroßhandlung – Freiburg i. Brg.” contains the statement “Since 1828 – vineyard owner in Ihringer Winkler-Berg”. This shows that the Bühler family had owned vineyards on the Kaiserstuhl at least since 1828, i.e. during the lifetime of Johann Georg Bühler.
Wolfenweiler Batzenberg – Riesling x Sylvaner – Baden – probably from 1958
Staufenberger Schloßberg – Riesling x Sylvaner – Baden – presumably from 1958
Georg Friedrich Bühler founded the “Fritz Bühler Söhne” winery in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1850, as shown by labels that were probably used in 1958. Georg Friedrich Bühler was at least the first “Fritz” Bühler. On these labels, in addition to “Fritz Bühler Söhne – Weingutsbesitzer, Freiburg i.B.”, the words “gegr. 1850” can be seen around the coat of arms. In contrast to the designation “Rebbesitzer”, the designation “Weingutsbesitzer” is now emphasized.
Address book of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau for the year 1904
Karl Friedrich Bühler was born in 1865 as the son of Georg Friedrich Bühler. He was the second Bühler to be called “Fritz”. He moved from Ihringen to nearby Freiburg and ran a wine wholesale business there alongside the Ihringen vineyard from at least 1904. In 1914, further vineyards were acquired on the Kaiserstühler Winklerberg.
Address book of the capital Freiburg im Breisgau and official residents’ book of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau – advertisements from 1914
Letter from Dr. Gerhart Hauptmann to Fritz Bühler & Söhne dated February 28, 1944
In a letter dated February 28, 1944, Nobel Prize winner Gerhart Hauptmann thanked Fritz Bühler & Söhne for agreeing to send him “60 bottles of your Winklerberg”. He “likes drinking this natural wine from Baden very much and it suits me well. The Bordeauxs of today do not always have the beautiful, simple truth of your vineyard. My stays in Baden-Baden have taught me this.” And finally, Gerhart Hauptmann noted in this letter: “At the age of eighty-one, it is unlikely that I will continue to drink wine for very long, but I would ask you to patronize me again from time to time.”
On June 6, 1946, about 2 years later, Gerhart Hauptmann died in Agentendorf in Lower Silesia, from where he wrote this letter. He was an important German playwright and writer and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1912. He was obviously also a lover and connoisseur of good wines. It is interesting to note that Gerhart Hauptmann addressed his letter to “Mr.” Bühler, i.e. obviously to Dr. Herbert Bühler or Fritz Bühler, while his widow Amalie Bühler was running the business in those years.
Pinot Blanc from 1958
Pinot Noir from 1958
In 1942 and 1953, Dr. Herbert Bühler expanded the estate and purchased additional vineyards. Labels from 1958 show the range of wines from the estate’s own growth and bottling, i.e. wines from vineyards owned by the estate. The vineyard on the famous Ihringer Winklerberg is particularly emphasized. Typical grape varieties are Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. These labels also include a reference to the founding of the Fritz Bühler Söhne winery more than 100 years ago in 1850.
Labels of the Riesling & Sylvaner grape varieties, 1958
Other labels show various vineyards and grape varieties that were sold by the Fritz Bühler Söhne winery. These were also bottlings from vineyards owned by third parties.
Dr. Herbert Bühler discontinued the wine trade in 1962. In 1967, he finally leased his own cultivation and use of the vineyards to the Ihringen winegrowers’ cooperative. In 1979, he and his wife Elsa sold the winery in Ihringen, the vineyard in Staufen and the estate in Freiburg to his nephew Dr. Wolfgang Bühler, who continued the lease agreement with the winegrowers’ cooperative.
Chardonnay from the year 2014
In 2014, the Bühler family’s remaining vineyards in Ihringen were leased to the Freiherr von Gleichenstein winery. With this lease agreement, the cultivation of the Bühler family’s vineyards on the Ihringer Kaiserstuhl was secured for many years to come by a long-established and highly reputable winery. The value of this lease opportunity can be seen in an article in the Badische Zeitung newspaper on November 2, 2015. The owner of the winery, Johannes von Gleichenstein, is quoted as saying “an opportunity like this doesn’t come along every day”. Since then, the labels bear the inscription “Freiherr von Gleichenstein – Ihringer Winklerberg” with the addition “The grapes for this wine come from the vineyard of the Dr. Wolfgang Bühler family”.
In 2017, Dr. Wolfgang Bühler decided to set up a new winery on Mallorca, where he now owned a vacation home. This was taken over by his son Dr. Thomas Bühler in 2019. With Son Amaret, the Bühler family now runs around 8 hectares of vineyards, which will be expanded by a further 3 hectares in 2021. In 2021, exactly 225 years after the first evidence of the Bühler family’s winegrowing activities in 1796, the first wine from Son Amaret will be launched on the market.
Today, Son Amaret offers several white wines, a rosé and a red wine from Mallorcan cultivation. Distribution currently takes place largely on the Mediterranean island.
