Message from Christian Ress January 2013

The harvest was one of the most pleasant and exciting in the history of Weingut Balthasar Ress and it concluded as we had hoped - on the night of 8 to 9 December, we were able to pick grapes for an Eiswein. The night before (7th) was already very cold and it remained frosty the next day (8th). That afternoon, temperatures continued to drop rapidly, and just before midnight, the time was right. By the way, an Eiswein harvest in the middle of the night is rather unusual. Normally, the frozen grapes are picked in the wee hours of the morning, when temperatures are lowest. With the help of our pickers, who braved temperatures of -11°C (12.2°F), we were able to harvest grapes with a fabulous Oechsle reading of 180 degrees in the Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen site. We produced 60 liters of this highly sought after specialty. Please see our media library to have a look at all photos and even a video.

 

What would a new year be without good resolutions and plans... We have ambitious plans for 2013. We will plant an additional three hectares (ca. 7.5 acres) of vines; we will devote even more time to our work in the vineyards; and we will diligently continue to implement sustainable viticultural practices, particularly as we convert more parcels to organic viticulture. By 2012, we knew that we were on the right path. In our organically cultivated tracts, which are still in an experimental phase, the grapes remained healthy well into November. They ripened completely. They were highly aromatic. These parcels numbered among the very last vineyards in Hattenheim to be harvested - on 13 November 2012. We are thoroughly convinced that this is the modus operandi that will enable us to reach our goal of producing wines that reflect authenticity.

 

In April, we're beginning a new and extremely exciting project. Mum's the word for now. Suffice it to say that it will be an additional little milestone in our development and will provide you, our customers, with great pleasure...

 

In June, we'll salvage the 18 magnums and 1 Balthazar of RESSpekt that we sank in a quarry pond in Diez on the Lahn River in 2010.In autumn, we'll celebrate the first "real" harvest of our vines on Sylt, an island in the North Sea.

 

Yes. We have a busy and eventful year ahead. As usual, we'll continually keep you updated via our newsletter, our website, and Facebook.

 

Stay tuned...and thank you for your ongoing interest and loyalty.

 

Best regards,

 

Christian Ress