When Stefan saw an ad for a small parcel of land in a local newspaper he immediately fell for it and started his very own idea of winemaking. After two years in Burgenland, he came back to his home and took two more parcels to elevate the grape of Franconia to new heights. He farms about five hectar in a region which historically was one of the most famous for wine in Germany. His wines are more akin to Burgundy or Jura whites than anything that is being made around him by big nondescript wineries. He works bio-dynamically and uses small amounts of sulfur.
We had an extended conversation about the label for this wine, as it is the same as for his entry-level Sylvaner. However, this one is a tiny batch of bottles made in smaller barrels than he usually uses for the Sylvaner. As he puts it, this results in more balance and depth for the wine. The grapes were pressed directly with no skin contact, and the wine was left for 12 months in the barrel. It’s amazingly low in alcohol and will smell a little like apple peel and herbs. In the mouth, you will have a very salty medium acidic wine that screams for lighter dishes like sushi or pasta with clams.