Dear wine customers,
only the second newsletter from us this year? That has never happened before! But you can see that everything is a bit too much for me at the moment: vineyards, family and the reconstruction of our house, which burned down in December 2021. Our children Lilo (6 years old), Marie (8 years old) and Luc (11 years old) have had to come to terms with the cramped living conditions, which was not easy. But the prospect of a new house keeps everyone going. For Stéphanie, it is a real challenge to run such a scattered household: part of family life also takes place in the winery - between the wine vats and the dishwasher.
But there were also some nice things in the almost past year: We received further donations from our very loyal customers. Thank you very much for that! And at least the growing season in the vineyard was quite relaxed. Although the drought in some locations has hit the vines hard, thanks to the healthy vineyard soils, all the vines survived the year well. Before the harvest, hopes were high for a special vintage, but just in time for the start of the harvest it started to rain and the high expectations were somewhat "watered down". The partially fermented white wines now show a beautiful fruit with very humane acidity and a normal alcohol content (12%). In contrast, the thick-skinned red wines are the winners of the long dry period: Dark red and strong, the young reds in the sample glass show that 2022 will be a great red wine vintage!
This year I had support from Ruvym from Ukraine. His enthusiasm for winemaking is palpable - and even if we still have language barriers to overcome, he is better off in our vineyard than if he went off to war at the age of nineteen - for whoever or whatever. When Ruvym talks about his parents' farm, you could cry. The destruction there is indirect: his father and brothers have to go to war, his mother travels back from Germany to Ukraine to harvest potatoes, in order to at least save what the family needs as soon as life is possible there again.
We only feel this war indirectly. People are saving money when buying organic food because everything is getting more expensive. Organic products have actually made the smallest mark-ups. But the organic sector is also trembling and is not used to making do with less. There was and still is an attitude that believes in eternal growth and not in the natural ups and downs of life's cycles.
The year is drawing to a close, the days and especially the evenings are getting longer and invite you to make yourself comfortable at home with a glass of wine. That's why I'm delighted to be able to introduce you to our new wines.
Our wines live!
The 2021 Pinot Gris »Edition Goldwespe« is a truly amazing representative of its grape variety. After opening, its taste and aroma are still quite closed, but as it progresses, the fine aromas emerge and the typical, melting Burgundy aroma sets in. The next day, it reveals its full aroma. Our wines are alive! – that is how I understand my work with wine.
Another wine from the »Edition Goldwespe« is the 2021 Riesling Alte Reben vom Teufelskopf . There I revived the old tradition of particularly high-quality Rieslings. There is no artificial correction of the acidity, but great ripening potential and longevity without screw caps and sulfur. The 2021 vintage shows the typical clear acidity of the Riesling. The many herbs that thrive in the ancient vineyard give the Riesling a diverse and fresh note.
The new red wines Cabernet Carbon and St. Laurent will be bottled soon and you can pre-order them now. I know that many of you are looking forward to these wines, but unfortunately the quantities are quite small.
Since sales are unfortunately a little slow here too, I would be delighted if I could arouse your interest and you can continue to be enthusiastic about our wines. For even more or completely new enthusiasm, I have put together a winter package for you:
Order your Christmas treat package!
12 bottles of 0.75 l each, free shipping in Germany (except islands):
4 bottles of 2021 Pinot Gris, Edition Goldwespe, dry, Demeter
4 bottles of 2020 Ludwigshöher Teufelskopf Riesling »Edition Goldwespe«, dry, QbA, Demeter
4 bottles of 2018 Guntersblumer Spätburgunder, QbA, Demeter
With warm greetings from Guntersblum
Stéphanie and Johann Schnell with Marie, Lilo and Luc
