Dear wine lovers,
I am pleased to be able to write to you in early spring: The first wines from the 2022 vintage have already developed so wonderfully that I have already been able to bottle some of them. But more on that later.
One year after the fire: rebuilding our home
After our family of five has been living in very cramped conditions for a year now, the starting signal for the reconstruction of our house was finally given on December 5, 2022. Almost on the first anniversary of the fatal fire shortly before Christmas 2021, we could start building the timber frame structure. With a mobile crane, which I operated myself somewhat cockily, the basic framework including the first roof covering was erected in a week. The carpenters were highly motivated and well looked after: "We have never been looked after so well on a construction site," they praised Stéphanie's food: French cheese from Stéphanie's cheese wonder counter, with fresh baguette, venison ragout from our dear neighbors the Janß family and red wine from Geheimrat Schnell in the evening. We stayed overnight with the always helpful in-laws in the village. The children were thrilled when they climbed the new house over the scaffolding and watched their new nest grow. We are looking forward to the next steps and can hardly wait to be able to move into our home soon.
From young wines to wines of the future
After a very strenuous week of building our house - operating the large crane gives you cold feet and tired nerves - we went straight to the wine cellar after Christmas, because our young wines developed surprisingly quickly and wanted to be tasted and come into contact with the fine yeast again. The delicate stirring of the yeast, known as bâtonnage, gives the wines a finer melt and a fuller mouthfeel. It also reduces the need for sulphur, keeps the wines fresh longer and makes them more storable. Our new barrel (1200 litres) was allowed to serve the now bottled 2022 Pinot Blanc convey the full aroma of the Palatinate oak from which it is made. "A mouth full of wine," as my father liked to say. That's true, and I would add: The wine has a delicate almond note with a melting texture and subtle hints of vanilla.
Also the 2022 Gewürztraminer was bottled. It will probably be our last vintage of Gewürztraminer, as we will be planting the new fungus-tolerant Muscaris grape variety in its place this year. I am excited to see whether the Muscaris can keep up with its predecessor. The now bottled Gewürztraminer has a very nice residual sweetness and is our "sweet wine" this year (19 g/l residual sweetness). Its fine rose scent goes perfectly with Roquefort cheese.
We have been growing fungus-resistant varieties such as Johanniter, Regent and Cabernet Carbon for many years. They are the only way to make organic viticulture truly sustainable in the future. That is why I call them wines of the future. The constant use of copper, even in organic viticulture, and the associated regular driving through the vineyards, all of this can only be a temporary solution on the way to "less is more". These wines taste fantastic and have delighted us time and again in recent vintages, especially the Johanniter in the wooden barrel and stainless steel versions: it is exciting from the first to the last sip.
Unforgettable evenings of enjoyment with friends
We see it as one of our challenges to develop our wine-growing business in a biodynamic and sustainable way. The other challenge is marketing: We are very proud of our biodynamic wines and would like to share this enthusiasm with many people. Unfortunately, our wine sales have fallen sharply in recent times, although we were still able to record considerable sales during the Corona crisis. Since wine enjoyment should remain a pleasure, my interest is not in individuals drinking more wine, but in more people getting to know and appreciate our wines. But effective advertising on "all channels" has become almost unaffordable. One of the most "social" ways of communicating is from person to person, from word of mouth. Your personal recommendations are our strength!
If you are enthusiastic about our wines, tell your friends and family about them. Or invite them to a wine tasting: We would be happy to come to your home and we will enjoy delicious wines and Stéphanie's cheese specialties together. Or you can book an evening with us in Guntersblum and combine it with an overnight stay for a culinary weekend with friends, acquaintances or club colleagues. We are sure that every connoisseur would be enthusiastic about such an experience and look forward to your non-binding inquiry by Email .
And for great enjoyment in a small group at home or as a gift, I have of course put together a tasting package of current wines:
4 bottles of 2022 Pinot Blanc
— with lots of melting
2 bottles of 2022 Gewürztraminer
— for the Roquefort cheese evening
3 bottles of 2021 Cabernet Carbon
— for the last cold winter evenings
3 bottles of 2021 Merlot Rosé
— for the first warm spring evenings
With warm greetings from Guntersblum
Stéphanie and Johann Schnell with Marie, Lilo and Luc
