Today we explored the Kaiserstuhl region. It is a very special place in the German wine regions landscape. We visited 3 producers: Weingut Dr. Bercher, Weingut Höfflin and Weingut Dr. Heger, before moving on to Alsace.
After, spending the morning at Weingut Dr. Bercher
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Martin Bercher at Weingut Bercher (VDP) in Burkheim, Kaiserstuhl, Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
we visited Weingut Höfflin.
Matthias Höfflin belongs to the pioneers of organic viticulture. His winery of 30 acres benefits from sun-drenched sites around the almost untouched Schambachtal in the eastern Kaiserstuhl region.
US-American Kaylie Magestro was our host.
Matthias Höfflin joined us at various occasions during the visit, which comprised of a vineyard walk, a seated tasting and a tour of the wine cellar.
Given the winemaking philosophy of Matthias Höfflin, we spent a large part of the visit in the vineyard.
Vineyard Walk
Kaiserstuhl Region
Importer Schatzi Wines: The Kaiserstuhl (named for its resemblance to an emperor’s throne) is a compact zone of some 10,000 acres of vines planted around the stump of an extinct volcano. It rises above the Rhine river valley, just east of Alsace. Geologically speaking, it is a rare place indeed. Volcanoes formed here during the late Tertiary period, at the end of a long succession of eruptions, starting in the Cretaceous. Heavily eroded volcanic vents mark the landscape and the rocks that remain are of the Miocene, dating 16 to 19 million years before the present. These volcanic rocks are of alkali-carbonate structure and contain elements of magnesium iron silicate, which can be found here as the gem peridot, a crystalline material that weathers slowly and provides good drainage.
Tasting
Interview with Matthias Höfflin
Matthias Höfflin belongs to the pioneers of organic viticulture. His winery of 30 acres benefits from sun-drenched sites around the almost untouched Schambachtal in the eastern Kaiserstuhl region.
To give you an idea about this philosophy of winemaking, I quote an interview with Matthias Höfflin:
Q: What time do you go to the vines in the morning?
A: In winter, when the vines are dormant, late. In spring and summer I often go very early in the morning to experience the awakening of nature and in the vineyard.
Q: What can you see or smell as you roam the mountain?
A: A vineyard is something living. The plants communicate with each other, the soil contains a lot of life. The interplay between soil, soil animals, green plants, vines and ultimately also the people who work in the vineyard must be in harmony. This is terroir for me. You can see it, but above all you can smell and feel it. Every vineyard has its own smell.
Q: What does it mean in concrete terms when you say: Good wine is made in the vineyard?
A: The metabolic products of the soil animals in the organic vineyard are the staple food of the vines. The richer and more diverse the microorganisms in the vineyard are, the more valuable is the food that reaches the roots of the vine. They form the complexity, the minerality and the depth of the wine as a basic requirement for a long-lasting wine. An example: If I have created too fine a soil structure through frequent use of machines, the result is thin, low-extract and flat-tasting wines that have no potential for storage. We rely on well-rooted, living soil with a high humus content. This gives substance and shelf life.
Q: You only use the natural yeasts from the vineyard, no other tools or additives. What's the hard part about it?
A: Everything has to be right: the nutrition of the vines, the diverse soil life, the timely work in the vineyard. The elements for success are known. The trick is to put them together correctly with finesse and expertise. No two years are the same, that's what's exciting. And that's where the morning hours in the vines help me.
Q: So if you do everything right in the mountain, you don't have to clean up in the cellar anymore?
A: Yes it is.
Q: Organic wine has literally been on everyone's radar for years now, hasn't it? What do you think, how important is organic wine for your customers?
A: We left the infancy stage of organic and biodynamic winemaking behind us. In addition to today's high quality, there is a gut feeling that the purchase of a product made in this way will harm the environment and us humans as little as possible. Taste is one thing, well-being and inner quality are another.
Wine Cellar Tour
Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours: All Postings (already posted and forthcoming)
Summary: Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
The Sun-Kissed South: Germany’s Pinot Noir, the Other Whites, the Culinary Regions - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Daniel Wagner at Weingut Wagner-Stempel (VDP) in Siefersheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Helmut Dönnhoff and Sascha Johannes Schömel at Weingut Dönnhoff (VDP) in Oberhausen, Nahe - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
An Afternoon with Riesling Star Winemaker Helmut Doennhoff at Weingut Doennhoff in Oberhausen in the Nahe Valley, Germany
Dinner in a Typical Old Town Mainz Wine Tavern: At Weinhaus Bluhm and at Weinhaus Schreiner - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
Cellar Tour and Tasting in the Courtyard with Owner/ Winemaker Gesine Roll at Weingut Weedenborn Weedenborn in Monzenheim, Rheinhessen - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Weingut Jülg (VDP): Lunch in the Wine Tavern with Karin and Werner Jülg and Tasting in the Vineyard with Johannes Jülg - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Sven Nieger at Weingut Sven Nieger in Baden-Baden-Varnholt, Ortenau - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Waldgasthaus Scherrhof - Deep in the Black Forest, Local Badenser Cuisine at its Best - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting with Owner/ Winemaker Robert Schätzle at Weingut Schloss Neuweier (VDP) in Baden-Baden-Neuweier, Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Martin Bercher at Weingut Bercher (VDP) in Burkheim, Kaiserstuhl, Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Matthias Höfflin and Kaylie Magestro at Weingut Höfflin in Bötzingen, Kaiserstuhl, Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting in the Courtyard with Joachim Heger and Winemaker Markus Mleinek at Weingut Dr. Heger (VDP) in Ihringen, Kaiserstuhl, Baden - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Dr. Heger in Ihringen, Kaiserstuhl, Baden – Germany-South Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
The World Class Wines of Alsace
In the world class white wine region Alsace
Cellar Tour with Pierre Gassmann and Tasting at Domaine Rolly-Gassmann in Rorschwihr, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Massive Tasting at Domaine Rolly-Gassmann in Rorschwihr, Alsace, with Pierre Gassmann - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Turckheim, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Dinner with Chef Laurine Gutleben and Restaurant Manager/ Husband Antoine Bauer, both Owners, at Michelin-rated Restaurant La Veille Forge in Kaysersberg, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour and Tasting with Jean Pierre Dirler at Domaine Dirler-Cadé in Bergholtz, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine Dirler-Cadé with Jean Pierre Dirler and Ludevine Dirler-Cadé - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Frédéric Hugel at Domaine Hugel & Fils in Riquewhir, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tour and Tasting at Hugel in Riquewhir, Alsace, with Jean Frédéric Hugel - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting with Owners Catherine Faller and Eddy Leiber-Faller at Domaine Weinbach in Kaysersberg, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Visiting Colette Faller at Domaine Weinbach in Kaysersberg in Alsace
Dinner with Chef de Cuisine Jean-Michel Eblin at 1-star Michelin Restaurant Le Maximilien in Zellenberg, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Adrien Schoenheitz at Vins Schoenheitz in Wihr-au-Val, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Lunch at Restaurant 1-star Michelin Restaurant La Nouvelle Auberge in Wihr-au-Val, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Rémy Gresser at Domaine Rémy Gresser in Andlau, Alsace - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Domaine Rémy Gresser in Andlau, with Rémy Gresser - Alsace Tour 2019 with the Weinfreundeskreis Hochheim, France
Vineyard Tour and Tasting with Hans Rebholz, Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz (VDP), Pfalz - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting at Weingut Ökonomierat Rebholz in Siebeldingen, Pfalz – Germany-South by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Lunch at Restaurant 1832 at the Hambacher Schloss - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting in the Courtyard and Cellar Tour with Frank John at Weingut Frank John in Neustadt an der Weinstraße - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Cellar Tour and Tasting with Andreas Rings at Weingut Rings (VDP) in Freinsheim, Pfalz - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting and Cellar Tour at Weingut Rings in Freinsheim, Pfalz, with Andreas Rings - Germany-South and Alsace 2017 Tour by ombiasy WineTours
Tasting with Bettina Bürklin-von Guradze and Riccardo Korner at Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf (VDP) in Wachenheim, Pfalz - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours
Impromptu Tasting at Weinbar & Vinothek Weingut Dr. Bürklin-Wolf in Deidsheim, with Managing Director Steffen Brahner - Germany-South and Alsace 2018 Tour by ombiasy WineTours: Baden, Alsace, Pfalz and Rheinhessen
Tasting with Anne and Matthias Gaul at Weingut Matthias Gaul in Grünstadt-Asselheim, Pfalz - - Germany-South and Alsace 2022 by ombiasy WineTours