Burg Tschäpperli Foundation – Tschäpperli belongs to itself
This was the idea that marked the starting point of our considerations. The land in Tschäpperli has been owned by the Blarer family (Blarer von Wartensee) for over 400 years, except for an interruption following the occupation of the diocese of Basel by Napoleonic troops and the associated expropriation. Even after the return of certain estates in the course of the Restoration, a varied (management) history followed.
This was occasionally characterized by financial hardships and tensions within the family.
In 1988, Dieter von Blarer was able to lease Tschäpperli from his aunt Marianne and his father Christoph. In 1990, Dieter and Steffi bought Tschäpperli and became the first sole owners after approximately 180 years.
In order to separate the expanding business operations – with today 5.5 ha of self-managed vines and the pressing of a further 10 ha of vines as a service – from the land and buildings, we founded Tschäpperliweine GmbH in 2013 together with Ueli and Barbara Bänninger-Zurflüh, the couple that manages the agricultural side of the business. The land and buildings are leased to the GmbH.
The owners were faced with the question of the future of the land and buildings. In a lengthy process, we came to the conclusion: A foundation is the best solution to ensure continuity and to keep discord or even speculation away from Tschäpperli. The idea behind this is that Tschäpperli belongs to itself. This gives Tschäpperli its own legal personality.
The foundation promotes viticulture with natural production methods as well as biodiversity in the immediate and wider area in collaboration with other landowners and the municipalities of Aesch and Pfeffingen. The foundation is a nonprofit organization.
The Board of Trustees consists of the manager of the agricultural operations, a representative of Annemarie and Christoph von Blarer-Bösch’s descendants and one other person. The Board of Trustees must always include at least one woman.
The Board of Trustees currently consists of
Steffi Wirth (chairperson)
Ulrich Bänninger Zurflüh (member of the board)
Dieter von Blarer (member of the board)
In March 2025