The plants for this lightweight red are all about 40 years old and grow on volcanic soil. The harvest happens in September and usually takes a bit of time because of the mountains. The grapes macerate for one day, and then half of the juice sits on the leftover skins of their white wine. So you get a tiny bit of structure and aromatics from those. Afterward, the must goes partially into concrete eggs and the other part into wooden barrels, where it stays until bottling in March. Overall this is a cherry party in all the ways, while in the mouth, a little more tannic and herbal flavors appear. Try this with Pasta alla Norma and enjoy the summer while it lasts.

Silvaner did not always have the best reputation for the last couple of decades. Being used for most of the white "Frankenwein" in the bottles with the belly for most younger people, this meant old people's wine. After Stefan Vetter, the other Franconian winemaker, already elevated Silvaner from the lows of previous times, Andi is now trying it as well. With harvest being in early September, Andi tries to preserve the freshness, and with a little bit of skin contact, it adds some structure to the wine. It is pressed with an old basket press and aged in big old oak barrels for 9 months. With a bit of flint, in the beginning, the nose opens up and shows some herbal, minty, and grapefruit notes. Once you drink it, an apple joins the party, and with its perfect acidity and grip, it shines very brightly. This calls for something a little refined, like a chicken breast with chanterelles.

Another Riesling Pet Nat from the Mosel, after Purellus by Trossen and Piu Piu by Fio Wines. In October, this one was picked on a very steep vineyard called “Honigsack” and was partially pressed. The other part was macerated with the skins until both came together and were bottled. In the bottle, the fermentation finished, and it was not disgorged, so all the dead yeast is still in there. Lenz recommends keeping it upright and cool for two days before opening. This way, you have fewer explosions and less yeast in the glass. It brings cider-like qualities combined with some citrus and orange zest. Drink it like your favorite soda with a salty snack like mussels escabeche on potato chips.