The beauty of the Baumbergers is not only their openness to question, learn and reevaluate, but their ability to look in the same direction. Since harvest 2023, Glow Glow and Weingut Baumberger — previously two styles of winemaking under the same roof — have been united as one project, and the family dedicate their time to regenerative farming and the creation of natural wines that capture the ‘Nahe glow’. If you’ve tasted the wines or had the chance to visit the winery, it’s a glow that doesn’t leave you. 16 hectares of vines spill out from the family home where Marcus and Birgit live; the cellar tucked beneath the house, the barn where the fruit arrives for pressing and fermentation a stone’s throw away, and a simple but beautifully renovated room for tastings and harvest dinners alike. Glow Glow came to life in 2019, sparked by their daughter Pauline, who lived in Paris, Berlin and The Hague before a newfound love of natural wine, and the philosophy behind it, inspired her to return to her childhood home. Joined by her brother Carl, who brought classroom knowledge and plenty of hands-on winemaking experience to the team, Glow Glow emerged as one of the first natural wine projects in the region. 2024 was a difficult year, with frost hitting late in April and 37% of the yield lost in one night. Despite the challenges, the Baumbergers forged forward with renewed focus and although the quantity of fruit at harvest was low, the quality was perfect. In Pauline’s words, it’s a vintage of strong wines: energetic reds and fine, gentle whites.
Fizzy was the only sparkling made in ’24; a wine that has become a steadfast friend, appearing yearly since the very first Glow Glow vintage was released. It has also changed the most of all the wines over the years, with each version carrying its own, individual expression. The fruit is picked throughout the harvest, from early Bacchus to late-ripening Riesling, and it’s a recurring challenge to make a blend with grapes in varying stages of juice, fermentation, and fruit still on the vine. Bacchus and Müller-Thurgau are de-stemmed and macerated overnight before pressing the following morning, Muskateller was given carbonic maceration, and Chardonnay and Riesling were both direct pressed. Bottled with a little residual sugar for continued fermentation in the bottle, before being riddled and disgorged in March ’25. The aromatic varieties give a light floral bouquet, balanced with the creamy body of Chardonnay and acidity of Riesling. A precise, joyful wine, to be enjoyed chilled as the summer nights roll in.