Focus: Improving Wine Quality in Harmony with Nature

Weingut Balthasar Ress, founded in 1870, numbers among the Rheingau’s most traditional wine estates. Particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, it assumed a leading position in the region. In the past decade, it experienced enormous growth, above all, in export markets. After successful start-ups in new markets, the estate realized that it was time to rethink its position on wine quality, particularly in light of its belief that wine is a cultural asset rather than a standardized commodity of mass production. Since 2009, Weingut Balthasar Ress has stepped up measures to cultivate its vineyards in harmony with nature as one means of improving wine quality.

 

“We thought long and hard about means to improve wine quality. Ultimately, we decided to take a closer look at our methods of vineyard and cellar work,” said Christian Ress, the man at the helm of the estate today. “Alternative working methods only make sense if they have a perceptible impact on the taste of the finished wine. Our belief that high-quality grapes are requisite for producing wines of the highest quality is a matter of conviction rather than fashion.”  

Changes in working methods have already had a positive influence on the wines in the two short years since the first steps were taken in 2009. Absolutely no herbicides are used. Where machinery cannot be used, the soil is tilled manually with a traditional vineyard hoe. Biologically rich soils yield higher quality grapes that in turn yield better wine. Concentrating on the vineyards and the optimal condition of the grapes as well as painstakingly, selectively harvesting by hand yields a high-quality crop. During vinification, enough time is allowed for grape musts to clarify through natural sedimentation. To the greatest extent possible, indigenous rather than cultured yeast is used. All of these measures have but one goal: to enable the natural characteristics of top vineyard sites to come forward in the aromas and flavors of the wines.

Initial results confirm that the new quality philosophy is paying off. Even the particularly difficult 2010 vintage profited from the new direction: although the size of the crop was small, it was of remarkably high quality, thanks to considerable labor by hand. Reason enough to expand this new strategy. In 2011, the vineyards remain the focal point of the estate’s work. An increase in personnel enables the new quality concept to be implemented. Soil management is geared to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and extensive manual labor ensures that the grapes have maximum support during their development in the vineyard.

According to Christian Ress, estate proprietor: “Nothing less than the most natural cluster of grapes, in perfect condition, is the object of our quest. To ensure that they arrive at the estate in that condition, we heavily invested in harvest technology and grape reception facilities back in 2009. We’re headed in the right direction. In the years to come, we’ll be happy to do with increasingly fewer chemicals.”