Employee profile: Roland Brossmann

...Since Mr. Brossmann and his wife have enjoyed traveling around on the island for years, the decision wasn’t difficult. From then on, the regular visits to Sylt were to include vineyard maintenance, such as pruning, tying up the vines or adjusting the wires, which first needed to be done in the summer of 2011.

“It’s quite interesting for me to observe the growth and development of the vines – they’ve developed beautifully despite the island’s harsh climate. In early September 2010, we could already sample the first little grapes. They had a very interesting aroma. Actually, there’s been little damage to the vines, despite the May frosts in 2010, as well as hail, storms with vast amounts of rain, and the cold, damp weather in 2011,” says the man in charge on Sylt.

Roland Brossmann has had close ties with Weingut Balthasar Ress for many years. In 1958, he began an apprenticeship as a wholesaler at the estate, after which he was hired to stay on. His great interest in viticulture led him to pursue additional training as a viticultural assistant and viticultural master. In 1978, he left Weingut Balthasar Ress to manage another renowned wine estate. But he remained in touch with Balthasar Ress. He had been retired barely three years when he got the call from Stefan Ress. As things turned out, he is now their man on Sylt – and very happy about that.