Staffelter Hof
2018
Purple Rain
Regent
Mosel, Germany

When Jan Matthias Klein took over his parents winery in 2005, the winery had some serious history. It was started in 862 as a gift to the Abbey of Stavelot, which is now part of Belgium; it was sold in 1805 and was split up several times. In the 60s, the Klein family started expanding again, and today it is back to 11 hectares. One of Jan's first move was to switch to organic farming, which is especially challenging with the steep hills in the Mosel region. Only recently, he started to make natural wines but quickly expanded the range, and all of it is absolutely outstanding. Since 2016 he introduced biodynamic practices and is trying to stay as close to nature as possible.

This is a very special Pet Nat, as it feels more like a Lambrusco. Made with Regent, a very dark red grape, it also shows in the wine. After the harvest in 2018, the juice was fermented on the skins for a week. A small part was bled off after 2 days. This technique, also called Saignée, is common to concentrate red wines, and as a byproduct, people use this juice for rosé winemaking. After the initial maceration, it was pressed and spent 10 months in traditional German fuder barrels to age. In 2019 another part of fresh juice was added to start fermentation in the bottle. First off, you're greeted by a mix of blackberry and blueberry. When drinking, you might taste some of the red fruit combined with light tannins and barnyard. If you have any gamey food planned, this is your best bet. Otherwise, anything greasy or stinky cheeses will work with this. Just drink it cold.

This wine is part of
 
Volume 29: The Umami Edition