Status report by Dirk Würz, our estate manager - 28 September 2011

Cool nights, warm days, and no rain. According to the extended forecast, the weather is supposed to stay this way for a while.

We’ve ended the mechanical harvest and are now harvesting exclusively by hand. Some 20 ha/50 acres are now waiting to be harvested. The crop is more or less in perfect condition. All is proceeding without hectic, very peacefully, and with great care. The musts for our entry-level wines are fermenting without a hitch – and taste quite good. At the moment, we’re picking grapes for our mid-level wines and very slowly moving toward the premium segment. Very slowly...

Acidities are stable; on average, must weights lie at 90° Oechsle; and slowly but surely, we’re seeing the development of the truly great aromas that we need. In Hattenheim, we still need to harvest our Pinot, as well as the grapes in the Engelmannsberg and Nussbrunnen sites. In Rüdesheim, we did a preselection two weeks ago, but haven’t harvested anything yet. Some of the grapes on the Rüdesheimer Berg look picture perfect and taste fantastic. If all goes according to plan, we’ll slowly get started in our Rüdesheim sites at the end of next week.

Best regards,
Dirk Würtz