16 German winemakers to watch

Last month at the Palmengarten in Frankfurt, the German Wine Institute invited press to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Generation Riesling.

Starting in 2006 with 25 members, this group has grown in stature and number over the past decade, now counting 530-strong.

Not only has it proved to be a wellspring of winemaking talent, it is also arguably German wine’s most powerful marketing tool, instilling a sense of cohesion and dynamism in the industry while overturning the medium-sweet clichés of old.

Such groups are thriving throughout Germany – and not all of them are focused on Riesling.
In Rheinhessen, the group Message in a Bottle was founded in 2002 by about 20 members, including Klaus-Peter Keller, Phillip Wittmann, Daniel Wagner or Caroline Gillot, and helped to change the image of the entire region.

In Württemberg in the same year, five winemakers – Hans Hengerer, Jürgen Zipf, Sven Ellwanger, Rainer Wachtstetter and Jochen Beurer – founded the group Junges Schwaben and as a result have gone on to enjoy real success and no little influence.

There is also the Wine Changes group in the Pfalz region, all of whose members come from Deidesheim and the surrounding villages. From the same region there is also Generation Pfalz.
There is Generation Pinot in Baden, SchlAHRvino in the Ahr valley, the Leiwener Jungwinzern the Mosel valley, and only last year a group of 13 young winemakers founded the Ethos group and promoting sustainable wine production in Franconia.

The transformative effect of such groups on the quality of wine produced in Germany, on winemaking style and overall ‘philosophy’, is palpable. In his speech preceding the 10th anniversary party, Stuart Pigott explained how these young winemakers had made the German wine industry unrecognisable from how it was 20 years ago, saying that “something very fundamental happened”.

The talented and ambitious junge winzer who make up these groups represent the future of German winemaking. With this in mind, and on this significant anniversary for Generation Riesling, in the pages that follow db profiles 16 German winemakers from the ‘new generation’ who appear destined for success…

1. Christophe Thörle – Weingut Thörle, Rheinhessen

Christophe and his brother, Johannes, have managed the 16th-century Thörle estate in Saulheim since 2006.

Weingut Thörle is in the northern part of Rheinhessen. With vineyards on fine clay, limestone, iron-rich sandy loam, flint and schist soils and, unusually for the region, benefitting from a bit of altitude (120-240m), the Thörles produce wines with characteristic depth and mineral elegance.

All vineyard management is now undertaken organically with biodynamics the end goal. The brothers work meticulously: 110 vineyard parcels are all fermented separately. Fermentation is spontaneous, which Christophe is convinced amplifies the sapid, saline character of the wines.

The Thörles’ Rieslings from the prized Hölle, Probstey and Schlossberg vineyards are marvels – as are the Spätburgunders from Hölle and Probstey.

Having taken over a decade ago, these brothers have been around for a while, but they are still young and have a long way to go. On the evidence so far, in their hands, Rheinhessen’s credentials for producing world-class Riesling and Spätburgunder seems assured.

2. Johannes Sinß – Weingut Sinß, Nahe

One of the standouts from Stuart Pigott’s Generation Riesling seminar, 29-year-old Johannes Sinß from Windersheim in Nahe made his first vintage in 2010 and, according to Pigott, has been getting better every year since then.

Working from a 12ha family estate, organic from the 2016 vintage, Johannes represents the continuation of 200 years of family winemaking history. About 90% of the wine he makes is from Riesling and Burgundy varieties, with some Scheurebe and Muller-Thurgau on top.

The Sinß vineyards are in a relatively cool area along a valley side of Nahe around Hünsruck. The winery is gravity-fed in order to optimise grape quality and 60-65% of production undergoes wild fermentation.

Johannes says he aims to make ‘authentic’ wines expressing the place where the grapes were grown and his wines are clearly characterised by elegance, mineral intensity and powerful structure.

“Every vineyard has its own personality so you have to try to make these vineyards better known,” he says. There are five vineyard sites and he makes two single vineyard bottlings: Römerberg (red sandstone for Riesling) and Rosenberg (for Spätburgunder).

Exports are limited to the US and Switzerland principally, but are developing. Johannes is currently in negotiations to export to the UK.

3. Susanne Winterling – Weingut Winterling, Pfalz

Given that the vast majority of Germany’s new generation of winemakers are focused on Riesling, it’s refreshing to find one with a different focus. Susanne Winterling’s is Sekt.

Working with her brother, Sebastian (he’s the cellar master), in a winery started by her parent in 1982 in Niederkirchen, close to Deidesheim in the Mittelhaardt, Susanne looks after about 12 hectares of vines growing on the region’s red sandstone and clay-limestone soils.

Riesling, at 40%, represents the majority of production, followed by Spätburgunder, Grauburgunder and Chardonnay.

While Susanne produces a number of well-regarded dry still wines, including, since 2012, excellent single-vineyard Rieslings from Paradiesgarten and Ruppertsberg, it’s Sekt, or ‘crémant’, as she refers to them, that she is becoming known for.

These sparkling wines (which represents 80% of production) spend at least nine months in bottle but typically 13 months. Harvesting, as one would expect from a serious sparkling producer, is by hand and grapes go through gentle whole-bunch pressing.

Susanne uses Champagne grapes, Riesling and Gewürztraminer for her sparkling range.

Since 2008 the grapes for the Winterlings’ wines have been produced organically. The wines have been certified as such since 2011.

4. Theresa Breuer – Weingut Georg Breuer, Rheingau

If Weingut Georg Breuer represents the future of German Riesling, rest assured that future is a bright one. The story behind the wine is as extraordinary as the wines themselves.

Theresa took over winemaking at the 34ha Rudesheim estate in Rheingau 12 years ago, after her winemaker father died suddenly. Then just 20 years old, Theresa essentially had to start from scratch.

She studied intensively at Geisenheim (conveniently, a short drive from her home) and working with the veteran cellar master of the estate, soon began to make Rieslings of remarkable elegance and ageability.

Theresa says that low alcohol (11-11.5% the norm for single-vineyard wines), strict control of ripeness and avoidance of botrytis-affected berries are crucial to her way of working.

Grapes are handpicked and, for the most part, wild-fermented, with large, old oak barrels used for both fermentation and ageing. The estate has been farmed organically (uncertified) since 2011 and is certified sustainable.

Theresa likes crisp, aromatic Rieslings and the family owns vineyards on some of the best local Grosse Lage (grand cru) Riesling sites: Schlossberg, Berg Rottland, Berg Roseneck and Rauenthal Nonnenberg.

Theresa’s single vineyard Rieslings, and indeed her Terre Montosa – a blend from the second best barrels from all four sites – show thrilling aromatic character and are clearly capable of very long ageing. She also makes Burgundy varieties, ‘historic’ wines from forgotten grapes Orlèansand Heunisch, plus sparkling and sweet wines.

5. Yvonne (and Martin) Lucas – Weingut Margarethenhof, Pfalz

Brother and sister team Martin, 28, and Yvonne, 29, look after their family winery, Weingut Margarethenhof, in Forst in the Pfalz region. Both Martin and Yvonne work in the cellar; otherwise Martin looks after the 17ha of vineyards and Yvonne concentrates on the sales side of the business.

Like many of the junge winzer, Yvonne has garnered invaluable experience form wineries abroad, including in California, Northern Italy (Alto Adige) and New Zealand.

Margarethenhof’s already well established reputation is based on its Riesling vineyards in Musenhang, Ungeheuer, Pechstein and Jesuitengarten – four of the most prized in the region – on the slopes that gently rise to the border of the Haardt forest on the western side of the village.

From these vineyards the Lucases produce Rieslings of real precision and clarity, with an emphasis on the vineyard – as Yvonne says, “we try to show the character of the vineyards as much as we can” – and harvesting top-quality grapes rather than interventions in the cellar.

Having taken over the winery from their mother and father around 2010-11, the pair have gradually begun to earn standout reviews, particularly over the past year or two. They make around 10 Rieslings, 10 other whites, including Chardonnay, Weißburgunder and Grauburgunder, as well as Auxerrois, plus five reds.

While most of the whites are fermented and aged in stainless steel, recently Yvonne and Martin have begun to ferment part of their Grauburgunder and Chardonnay in barrels.
Since 2011 the pair have upped their focus on Spätburgunder, and now produce an everyday drinking estate Spätburgunder in 1000l and 2000l format barrel, plus a special selection one in 200l barrels and 500l tonneaux. Their last release from the 2011 vintage received excellent reviews and their 2013 has just been released 2013 vintage.

6. Lisa Bunn – Weingut Lisa Bunn, Rheinhessen

Former Rheinhessen Wine Queen Lisa Bunn is based in Nierstein, with 10ha of vineyards on the bank of the Rhine river in Nierstein (red clay), Dienheim (limestone and sand) and Guntersblum (loess). Lisa is the fourth generation of a family winemaking business.

The winery used to be called Weingut Margarethenhof (nothing to do with the Lucases winery in Forst) until Geisenheim graduate Lisa took centre stage in 2013, having gained a year of experience in Germany, and worked on vintages at Robert Stein Winery in New South Wales and Springfontein Wine Estate in South Africa.

The huge range of wines that Lisa inherited from father Georg has been reduced and dry styles are now the focus.

As one would expect from one the key ambassadors of Generation Riesling, Lisa focuses on the Riesling grape, achieving strikingly varied mineral terroir expression from her different sites. The flagship wine of the estate is the Riesling from the Roter Hang – the iron-rich red clay soil of Nierstein.

Look out for Lisa’s wines from top Nierstein vineyard sites Hipping, Oelberg and Orbel. Additionally, local varieties Sylvaner and Scheurebe represent fruit and freshness. Burgundy varieties, and Chardonnay also feature among the whites, while Lisa also makes good Spätburgunder, Dornfelder and St Laurent.

7. Tobias Rickes – Weingut Tobias Rickes, Nahe

One of the youngest winemakers from the Generation Riesling group, at 22, Tobias Rickes hasn’t even finished his studies at Geisenheim yet, though he has had time to gain experience with winemakers of the calibre of Johannes Leitz in Rheingau.

Tobias took over the winery of his maternal grandparents, while his parents still make wine from their own winery. He made his first vintage at the age of 19. He works alongside his grandfather – the pair actually feature on the label for Tobias’s entry-level wine range.

On around 10ha, Tobias cultivates 50% Riesling, 35% Burgundy varieties and 15% native grapes such as Scheurebe and Kerner.

His formula for precocious success is low yields, grapes in an optimum state of health and ripeness, and a bare minimum of interference in the cellar.

The estate make around 80-100,000 bottles per year, including single vineyard bottlings from Gutental in Kreuznach and Backofchen in Wallhaus.

Stuart Pigott was so impressed with Rickes’s first ever vintage Riesling, the 2012, that he was moved to describe it as the best that he had tasted from Bad Kreuznach “for many years”.

Recently Rickes has planted more Riesling vine in the prized Monchberg vineyard site in Kreuznach as he looks to increase his focus on terroir-driven wines made from the variety. He also plans to plant Sauvignon Blanc next year.

8. Axel May – Weingut Steinmühle, Rheinhessen

Axel May is the 11^th generation of winemakers at Steinmühle in Osthofen in the Wonnegau region of southern Rheinhessen. The family wine business is based at an impressive flint mill which Axel’s ancestors purchased in 1737 and converted it into a quality-focused wine estate.

Following a viticulture degree from Geisenheim and experience gained at Flowers winery in Sonoma and the biodynamic Seresin estate in Marlborough, May took over winemaking at the 15.5ha Steinmühle estate in 2009, assuming control of the whole business in 2013 – all while still only in his 20s.

In the vineyard May has sought to move in the direction of biodynamics (the Seresin influence), establishing durable green cover with a wide variety of plants to encourage biodiversity and encourage ecological balance, and experimenting with biodynamic preparations.

Low yields, rigorous selection (including several passes in the vineyard during harvest) and hand-harvesting determine that the minimal-intervention approach adopted in the gravity-fed cellar yields wines of intensity and elegance. Wild yeast fermentations and extended time on the lees also add complexity and texture to Axel’s wines.

The wines of the Steinmühle estate are part of the VDP system and concentrate on Riesling and Burgundy varieties (May admits to preferring the Pinots of Martinborough to those of Marlborough, if that’s any indication of style). There’s also some very decent Sauvignon Blanc and Weissurgunder, but the single-vineyard Liebenberg Riesling and Klosterberg Spätburgunder, particularly, are worth a look.

9. Andi Schneider – Weingut Schneider, Nahe

Aged 35, Andi Schneider is a Riesling specialist – the grape accounts for around two-thirds of his production – making intense, mineral wines expressing the many different soil types of the Nahe.

Working with 13.5ha with an annual production of around 70,000 bottles, he makes one estate Riesling, three ‘village’ level wines (two Riesling, one Sauvignon Blanc) and three single-vineyard Rieslings. Most of his wine is sold in Germany, but he does export around 15% of his wine to Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, the US and China.

His three single-vineyard Rieslings, all made using 100% wild ferment, are from grapes grown on the slate and quartzite soil of Domberg, the basalt rock of the unofficial ‘grand cru’ of Felsenberg and the red clay of Marbach.

Having gained experience in New Zealand at Montana in Marlborough, he made his first vintage in 2007. But it is in the last two or three years that he has begun to receive serious critical attention in Germany – most notably winning the Vinum Riesling Championship in 2014, which effectively acknowledged his Riesling as the best in Germany.

Andi’s efforts so far suggest that he will become synonymous with the intense, mineral Rieslings of the Nahe in the years to come.

10. Thomas Hörner – Weingut Hörner, Pfalz

Weingut Hörner is managed by Thomas Hörner and his father Reinhold. The winery is located at the western outskirts oft the village Hochstadt in the south of Pfalz. Thomas operates “near to nature” using no herbicides and insecticides (“sensible without organic certification”, he says) and working mostly by hand.

Thomas took responsibility in the cellar in 2011. He also works in the vineyard. He gained his initial experience at wineries in Burgundy and Austria, before starting work in the family winery in 2010.

Thomas completed his winemaking studies in in 2014 and around the same time started the development of his distinctive product line – distinguishable by the horns of bull, ibex and ram.

The branding redesign, which is informed by Thomas’s wish to making wine more accessible (“We want to communicate that drinking wine doesn’t require any expert knowledge”) has won him two prominent corporate design awards.

The new product line was accompanied by adjustment in the vineyard as Thomas implemented a strict reduction in yields as part of his commitment to producing fruity fresh, yet concentrated wines with moderate alcoholic content.

The wines are all estate-made from the family’s 29 hectares of vineyards (about 80% white, 20% red. Production is at around 100,000 bottles per year. Yields are on average 75-80 hectolitre per hectare.

Exports account for just 5% of production – to Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands – but this is growing, Thomas says.

The focus is on Weiss/Grau/Spätburgunder, Sauvignon blanc and Muskateller grown on the local loess-loam soils.

Bull – represents young, easy-drinking wines

Ibex – represents the mid-range which “aims to bring the grape variety into focus”; fruity wines with fresh acidity

Ram – represents the best wines made from grapes from selected parcels, fermented in oak and with very good ageing potential.

11. Lukas Krauß – Weingut Krauß, Pfalz

Twenty-eight-year-old Lukas Krauß – Der Mann mit Hut (The Man with the Hat) – is thought of as the ‘maverick’ of new generation of German winemakers. In truth, he’s just a young winemaker who does and says what he wants, although he does exhibit one or two eccentricities.

First, there’s with his almost total rejection of the Riesling grape. Then there’s the championing of varieties such as Grüner Veltliner (he even made a Gruner TBA in 2014 – possibly the only German winemaker to do so), Sylvaner, Dornfelder and Portugeiser (he makes a highly successful blend of these two grapes which he cheekily calls Pornfelder).

Then, there’s the hat thing. His predilection for headwear means he’s known as The Man in the Hat, a quirk which has inspired his very own hat-based classification system: ‘1 Hat’ is his steel-fermented and aged, entry-level wine; ‘2 Hats’ is his top level, for which the wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation and is aged in steel and/or oak.

Perhaps wine legislators in Germany could learn something from him…

Working in the non-descript suburb of Lambsheim, near Deidesheim in the Pfalz, Krauß would not have achieved the success he has thus far because of his ‘maverick’ personality alone though: he also makes wines of remarkably high quality. Most of them are drinking wines rather than ‘fine’ wines, although the potential of his single-vineyard Grüner Veltliner is worthy of special mention.

The land around Lambsheim is pretty flat, the soil pretty unremarkable – this is not a place with the picturesque appeal of Deidesheim. This means Lukas has had to work hard to distinguish himself. The tiny Krauß winery was started by his grandfather in 1984 and Lukas took over from his father, Harald, in 2008, with his first vintage in 2009.

The estate covers just 6ha, with a further 4ha worth of grapes currently bought in each year. Lukas works strictly organically and produces around 70,000 bottle a year in what is a very cramped space – his tanks are crammed cheek by jowl with paletts and crates filled with bottles ready to be shipped, while one or two barrels have to be stored under a makeshift shelter in the driveway.

Lukas spent two years at Isegrim Hof in Bad Durkheim and gained further experience at the celebrated Weingut Müller Catoir in Pfalz. His subsequent training in Wachau in Austria and his exposure to the wines of that region and Kremstal has clearly influenced his winemaking.

Whether his Hat system will revolutionise German wine law is moot. What’s pretty clear, however, is that Lukas Krauß is a name anyone with an interest in what’s new and different in German wine will be hearing more of in the coming years.

12. Johannes Jülg – Weingut Jülg, Pfalz

Unlike many of his peers, 29-year-old Johannes Jülg did not study winemaking at Geisenheim, but instead sought hands-on experience through an impressive range of internships at wineries in Germany and beyond.

His CV suggests his wines are worth trying: Weingut Emrich Schönlebe in Nahe, Klaus-Peter Keller in Rheinhessen, Jean Stodden in the Ahr, Clemens Busch in the Mosel and Domaine des Lambrays in Morey St Denis to name but a few.

Riesling and Spatburgunder are his calling cards, but he makes a huge range of wines – more than 30 bottlings all told, all of them dry in style.

The 19ha Jülg estate, planted predominantly with Riesling and Burgundy varieties, is in conversion to organic viticulture. Exports account for around 10% of production: 5% to the US; 5% to the UK (through Howard Ripley).

The oldest son of three is the third generation of winemaker at his family winery in Schweigen-Rechtenbach, close to the border with Alsace (40% of the family’s vineyards are actually on the French side, in Wissembourg, meaning they have to pass through border control when moving to and from these sites).

The estate was founded by his grandfather in 1961. Johannes took over from his father, Werner, in 2012.

Johannes’s aim as a winemaker is to express “the fingerprint of the region”, and all if his wines are characterised by elegance, precision, minerality and, above all, drinkability.

He makes some fine Rieslings but also some really stunning, slightly savoury, Spätburgunders – which could easily fool one into thinking they were high-end Burgundy. He also makes a superb Burgundian Chardonnay with crisp lime citrus (no malo) and toast notes.

13. Juliane Eller – Juwel Weine, Rheinhessen

Juliane Eller, 26, is becoming something of a poster girl for Generation Riesling – she even had a spread in the German edition of Grazia devoted to her last year.

More pertinently, Eller was awarded her a ‘Grape’ from the Gault & Millau German wine guide for her very first vintage.

A third-generation winemaker at her family’s winery in Alsheim, Juliane was responsible for switching the estate’s focus from producing wine to sell on to big companies to producing estate wine to sell under her own label: Juwel Wines (a combination of her first name JUliane, and surname ELler, with the middle ‘W’ standing for wine).

Juliane studied viticulture and oenology at Geisenheim and has gained invaluable experience at Weignut Keller, in Flörsheim-Dalsheim, and Weingut Bischel in the increasingly trendy region of Appenheim.

Juliane is moving the winery in the direction of organics and produces only dry wines, favouring spontaneous fermentation and stainless steel for fermentation and ageing. Our her Alsheim Spätburgunder uses oak – in 500l barrels from Cognac cooperage Seguin Moreau.

Juliane produces four basic wines – a Riesling, Weißburgunder, Grauburgunder and Silvaner –one estate wine –the Alsheim Spätburgunder – and one single-vineyard Riesling – Alsheim Frühmesse Riesling. All of Juliane’s wines are linear, clear with good structure and acidity, and low alcohol.

14. Dennis Wolf – Maison Saint-Loup, Pfalz

A bit of a wild card entry compared with the preceding, 25-year-old Geisenheim graduate Dennis Wolf does not run his own winery – not yet at least.

His father, Kurt, owns the eponymous Weingut Kurt Wolf in Grosskarbach, in Bad Durkheim. While Dennis is involved with decisions concerning winemaking and vineyard acquisition, he has chosen a less trodden path to market himself and his winemaking talents.

At the moment he makes just one wine, called Maison Saint-Loup, a Grosses Gewächs oaked Riesling from a tiny plot neighbouring the Knipsers and Philipp Kuhn.

Following graduation and internships with such respected producers as Dageneau in the Loire, Ostertag in Alsace and Keller in Rheinhessen, Dennis was invited to choose a parcel of vines from which to amek a wine by his father. He chose a 0.16ha plot from the GG Laumersheimer Kirschgarten from which to make a single-vineyard Riesling – something his father has never done.

His 2014 was made using a 9/10yo 225l former Savignin barrel from Les Chais du Vieux Bourg in Jura; his 2015 this time aged Stockinger demi-muid donated by Dageneau, is being kept in barrel until next year before bottling.

Dennis looks for low alcohol (12% is optimum, he says) and the right combination of concentration and complexity. Dennis is currently living in London and building a network of wine industry contacts that will stand him in good stead in the future – he reported to db on positive feedback from the head sommelier of Fera at Claridge’s in London, and also has interest from Noma in Copenhagen.

Dennis’s career is only in its early stages but his clear commitment to quality Riesling suggests that, like the 15 other winemakers featured here, he is certainly one to watch.

15. Tobias Knewitz – Weingut Knewitz, Rheinhessen

Honoured as ‘Talent of the Year’ by leading German wine magazine Falstaff in 2014, Appenheim winemaker Tobias Knewitz is also a firm favourite of German wine aficionado Stuart Pigott.

Tobias is certainly precocious. He made his first wine in 2005 at the absurdly young age of 14. Tobias’s winemaking talents also earned his first ‘Grape’ from the German Gault & Millau wine guide six years ago, when he was just 19 years old.

From 2007-10, Tobias gained experience as an apprentice at the celebrated Pfalz wineries of Philipp Kuhn and Herbert Meßmer. Then came wine studies at Geisenheim, followed by a six-month internship at Weingut Philipp Wittmann in Rheinhessen. Tobias has also completed traineeships in Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux and South Africa.

The 2010 vintage was his first in overall charge at the 20ha Weingut Knewitz, located between Appenheim and Nieder-Hilbershiem. Since then, focusing on traditional local grape varieties, principally Riesling, Weißburgunder and Silvaner, he has been making wine which reflect the origin of the grapes in their taste.

His single-vineyard Riesling from the Hundertgulden vineyard site in Appenheim could be considered his calling card.

16. Christiane Koebernik – Weingut Emmerich-Koebernik, Nahe

Weingut Emmerich-Koebernik is a winery where tradition meets modernity – a family-owned business of which Christiane is a ninth-generation winemaker. Historical records show that viniculture has been practiced on the estate since 1730.

Occupying 14ha in Waldböckelheim in the Nahe region, comprising a multitude of terroirs, from volcanic rock to loamy silt, limestone and loess, the estate focuses predominantly on Riesling and Burgundy varieties along with Silvaner and Scheurebe.

Twenty-nine-year-old Christiane’s aim, unsurprisingly, is to express the local terroir through her wines. She studied international wine business at Geisenheim, working for six months for TerraMater in Chile. She has been working in the winery since 2012.

Christiane produces two ranges: the family’s Emmerich-Koebernik range and her own ‘Bock auf Wein’ range, including a Riesling, a Grauburgunder/Weißburgunder blend and a Silvaner.

A keen hunter, Christiane felt this was a good reflection of her and her approach to wine: ‘Bock auf Wein’ is a pun: ‘Bock auf…’ means ‘I feel like…’ in German and ‘Bock’ is the German word for roe deer (as in ‘roebuck’), reflecting her love of nature and hunting. Her wines, she says, are “wild, untamed and mineral”.