Daniel and Jonas Brand work with 22 hectares of vines in Bockenheim, making fresh and energetic wines. The brothers took over the family vineyard in 2014 and with the support of their father, Jürgen, converted to organic farming and natural vinification. Bockenheim is in northern Pfalz, with a cooler climate than other parts of the Palatinate. The vineyards are sheltered by Donnersberg, the highest mountain in the region that acts as a natural defence against incoming weather fronts, as well as creating a wind flow that diminishes the risk of mildew. The Brand Bros are an exciting example of the shift in farming that comes hand in hand with low intervention winemaking. Daniel and Jonas knew from the start that they wanted to work organically, but it took time, research and plenty of conversations to realise that regenerative agriculture was the approach they wished to follow. Daniel and Jonas are slowly returning to the mixed agriculture that the farm was founded on in their grandparents’ day, with the aim to build soil health and nurture biodiversity. An orchard with numerous fruit trees has been planted (with the idea to make fruit cider once the trees mature), cover crops flourish amid the vines, there is a bountiful vegetable garden, and last year saw flour milled from mixed wheat that Jonas had sown. For the last 6 years, they have ‘let nature be the guide’, following the diversity and chaos of the natural world.
Pét Nat Rosé 2022 is a fun yet serious, low alcohol wine. Pinot Noir grapes (two thirds of the entire crop) were picked ‘pre-harvest’; before they were fully ripened and still had plenty of crisp acidity. At this point many of the grapes are still green or just turning colour, but already had a good sugar level from the hot summer. Everything was crushed underfoot and left for two days on the skins before pressing and ageing in stainless steel, with a few wooden barrels included. A juicy, sour cherry pét nat, adorned with an illustration from the boys’ grandmother and the perfect accompaniment for summer lunches.