The continuation of the long winemaking tradition of the Römerhof winery in Riol is assured. Since Daniel Schmitz joined his parents' winery about 10 years ago, they have been working side by side. Franz-Peter Schmitz was born into the cradle of wine and viticulture, as he grew up in the Römerhof winery. There was never any question that he would later take over his parents' business. He trained as a winemaker partly in his parents' business and partly in a large winery on the Moselle. He then attended the viticultural college "Landes-, Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Wein- und Gartenbau Trier". Immediately after his apprenticeship, he began training to become a master winemaker. Quite early on, he took on responsible tasks in the area of cellar technology and wine bottling and thus learned the basics of wine making. At the young age of 20, he already had the letter of master winemaker in his pocket and from then on demonstrated his skills in his parents' winery. From the beginning, it was his ambition to expand and develop the business. Over the years, he succeeded in expanding the former 3.5 hectare winery to 11 hectares. At the same time, Franz-Peter Schmitz specialised in consistent and uncompromising quality wine cultivation. He took the marketing of his products into his own hands in order to be independent of the market cask wine prices. "I was aware that this could only be achieved with above-average, outstanding wine quality," was his credo. The increased cultivation and purchase of steep slopes was therefore unavoidable for him, although this required a much greater amount of work. With his perseverance and consistency as well as his enthusiasm for innovative novelties, he succeeded in developing his parents' small winegrowing business into a modern, impressive enterprise at the highest level. The brilliant success proved him right. Customers from all over the world are now the norm, he is no stranger to the international wine world, and the Römerhof wines have been rewarded with awards in all the important German wine guides. A long road that has been worthwhile. "Wine is my purpose in life, my passion and my destiny. There is nothing to shake about that. Every year, making a TOP wine is always a great challenge for me," says winemaker Franz-Peter Schmitz with conviction.