Status report by Dirk Würtz, our estate manager - 2 December 2011

As I stood in the estate’s courtyard this morning, I had the feeling that it was spring. That was the smell in the air. It’s incredibly warm for the beginning of December, and it’s unbelievably dry. Rain is predicted during coming days and desperately needed. It really hasn’t rained since September. Soil conditions resemble those at the height of summer. After an extremely dry spring, we’re now experiencing a second, extended period of dry weather this year. The water level of the Rhine is extremely low; ship traffic has been restricted; and one can literally “walk on the Rhine” near the Mäuseturm (mouse tower monument) opposite Bingen. In any case, 2011 will certainly go down in history for a record-breaking level of precipitation – in a negative sense. The only moisture we have is due to ongoing fog during the past several weeks.

Our grapes for Eiswein are still hanging on the vine. Twice, the long-term weather forecast had predicted a hard frost that would have sufficed – twice, it didn’t pan out. Fortunately, the grapes are still in very good shape...so, we continue to wait for frost. The thick, rich must of our Trockenbeerenauslese is still fermenting. Slowly but surely it’s nearing an end. It’s a nerve-wracking situtation, the likes of which I’ve seldom experienced. But what else can you expect with a must weight of more than 300 degrees Oechsle. Otherwise, apart from a few exceptions, things are quiet in the cellar. Most of the musts have completed alcoholic fermentation. A few are still fermenting, particularly those that underwent spontaneous fermentation. Some, however, are clearly going into “hibernation.” That’s not really dramatic. When it warms up in spring, they’ll “wake up” and finish fermenting.

Best regards

Dirk Würtz