Martin lived in Frankfurt for eight years, working in audio-visual media design and in service at Emma Metzler. It was at this restaurant, on the doorstep of the Museum Angewandte Kunst, that he tried his first natural wine – a far cry from the conventional wines that were widespread in the region where he grew up. When the COVID pandemic brought the city to a halt, Martin returned home to Römerhof, the spot where his family had lived for over a century. Here, just outside Kitzingen, his father had retired from winemaking and was making Federweißer, a sweet, fizzy, low alcohol drink from freshly pressed, partially fermented grape must. Returning to the countryside gave Martin a glimpse into an old-but-new way of life and, with the chance to convert the vineyards to organic farming, he embarked on a journey to create wines that reflected the philosophy and flavour of those he had fallen for. After an internship at Weingut Weninger in Burgenland, Austria, he began to make his own wines in earnest. Having decided against a more conventional education he began to gather as much information as possible, finding himself among a small community of winemakers who had sprung up around Kitzingen, many of whom had come from other careers. An exchange of knowledge, ideas, equipment and encouragement were vital as Martin ventured into his first year as a winemaker. That said, the initial years have been far from easy with drought, flooding, frost, mildew and heavy hail wreaking havoc in the vineyards. Despite these challenges, Martin finds a calm satisfaction in the physical labour, the final wines, and the rhythm of the seasons and processes in between. Today he farms 2.5 ha on limestone with six different grape varieties.
Vom Siebenerlei ’22 is from Martin’s first vintage, from a plot named Siebenerlei by his grandmother. She often said there were seven different kinds of soil here; a special piece of land where the vegetables she planted flourished. It is a fresh, animating red with 70% Dornfelder and 30% Domina, the latter a less widely known variety that was first cultivated in the early 1900s in Germany; a crossing of Blauer Portugieser and Spätburgunder grown mainly in Franconia. The grapes were direct pressed and aged for 10 months in stainless steel, before bottling with no added sulfur. Crisp and with bursts of redcurrant, this is one to drink lightly chilled with spicy noodles or Turkish flatbread topped with sucuk. Best opened an hour or so in advance.