2023 Weinschwärmer

Tasting

The Weinschwärmer is a hawk-moth that flits around our vineyards, and its wings are roughly the colour of this wine. That comes from the Pinot Gris: its berries are bluish-pink, and on the skins they hand their colour over to the juice. Pinot Gris and Riesling grow side by side on a Muschelkalk hill, between hedges and wild scrub. Neighbours, not twins. We picked the Pinot Gris on 13 September and fermented it on its skins for six days; the Riesling came in eight days later and was pressed directly. Both spent the time until the following summer apart, in old 1,200-litre casks. Only then were they allowed together. 2023 was wetter than the year before. The wine is paler, juicier, with much less tannin. Delicate red fruit from the Pinot Gris, citrus acidity from the Riesling. One brings the softness, the other makes sure things don't get too cosy.