From vineyard to cellar June 2014

Apropos cooler temperatures...we all held our breath and hoped that late frost in May would not be a big problem. Helicopters were flying in some regions in order to produce air turbulence and numerous colleagues in the Rheingau were spraying to disperse cold air. Once cold air sets in, it's a dangerous situation and grapes can freeze. If the cold air flows away, everything is OK. In a few sites, we had a bit of frost damage, but on the whole, we lucked out. I don't think we have to worry about any more late frost this year. It's always a big threat in a year in which vegetation is clearly ahead of schedule.

 

We've planted our new vines in Rüdesheim and our diligent vineyard workers have been working nonstop. There's always work to be done. Once again, we're confronting a challenging year. It's the same old story: anyone can simply ;-)

 

Fortunately, fermentation has resumed in the cellar and several important wines are nearing "the homestretch," i.e., reaching a state of dryness. The suspense continues. These days, we're working on our 2012 premium red wines. One by one they're leaving the cask and being asssembled into cuvées. Then they'll be sulfured for the first time and allowed to rest a bit before they're bottled (unfiltered and unfined).