Coastal wine is coming

• Unthinkable just ten years ago: Wines with character are being produced in East Frisia, Schleswig-Holstein and on the island of Rügen
• New varieties and climate change favour viticulture in the north
• Feinschmecker presents northern German winegrowers in the current issue

They have long been ridiculed in the wine scene: winegrowers from northern Germany. It was taken for granted that viticulture was impossible beyond the 52nd parallel - Münster in Westphalia, for example, lies at this altitude. However, in various places around 300 kilometres further north, passionate winegrowers have been proving for several years that excellent wines can also be grown on Germany's coasts. Feinschmecker, published by Jahreszeiten Verlag, has dedicated an extensive portrait to the northern lights among the winegrowers.

Lenz Roeloffs and his father Christian have established the Waalem winery on the North Sea island of Föhr. The initial scepticism with which their wines were described as "Schnutentrecker", i.e. off-putting to the palate, has given way to respectful interest. When Lenz Roeloffs, who is studying oenology at Hochschule Geisenheim University, opens one of his bottles for lecturers and fellow students in the seminar room today, "nobody waves it off any more," says Roeloffs. Father and son are focussing on new varieties that require less sun and are more resistant to fungal attack, known as Piwis. In 2009, they planted Solaris and Johanniter on sandy soils, later adding Hibernal, Souvignier Gris and Pinotin. Lenz Roeloffs has become an expert in Piwis and is convinced "that Piwis are the future of viticulture in the north".

On the neighbouring island of Amrum, Rheingau winegrower and part-time islander Michael Trenz is attracting attention. In 2020, he had 2600 Muscaris vines planted in collaboration with an island farm, and the first grapes will only be harvested this autumn.

Good wines even come from Sylt: VDP winegrower Christian Ress from Rheinhessen produces a sparkling wine on a small plot of land near Keitum - here, too, the base consists of Piwis. The "Söl'ring Extra brut" is characterised by aromas of gooseberry, mango and green pepper and is creamy and fresh in the glass. It is priced in the upper range.

And things are also happening on the mainland in East Frisia: the Erste Ostfriesische Winzergenossenschaft (OWG), founded in 2017, spent four years looking for suitable clay-sand soil - planting was completed in Breinermoor in 2021 and the first harvest took place last September. The cooperative has around 50 members scattered across the country. The grapes are harvested in the north under the guidance of Rhine-Hessian winemaker Angelina Schmücker, who grows the wine at home. According to Michael Hoppe, who looks after the co-operative in his spare time, there are plans to produce the wine himself. As the winner of the Feinschmecker and German Wine Institute 2021 wine champion competition, he brings a lot of expertise to the table. "We expect a clear North German flavour," says Hoppe.

Near Kiel, the von Hedemann-Heespen family runs the northernmost organic winery in Germany at Gut Deutsch-Nienhof. The family cultivates two hectares of vines on their estate with the Rondo, Cabernet Cortis and Solaris varieties. Josephine von Hedemann-Heespen took over responsibility for the business five years ago. She is aware of her special responsibility: "Coastal wine has to taste good, otherwise it will be the undoing of the entire north."

In Malkwitz near Bad Malente, Melanie Engel makes wine from almost eight hectares of vines - her Ingenhof is the largest winery in Schleswig-Holstein.

A wine from the island of Rügen has also attracted a great deal of attention. Although winegrower Mario Hohmann has to have his grapes processed on the Moselle, the Souvignier Gris grows on chalky soil similar to that of Champagne.

FEINSCHMECKER recommends these wines from northern Germany:

• Waalem, Föhr - 2022 Waalem Réserve, EUR 23.95, www.weingut-waalem.de
• Balthasar Ress, Sylt - 2021 Söl'ring Solaris Extra brut, EUR 65, www.balthasar-ress.de
• Öko-Weingut Deutsch-Nienhof, Westensee - 2022 kroon 54o15' Rosé sparkling wine dry, EUR 24, www.deutsch-nienhof.de
• Erste Ostfriesische Winzergenossenschaft, Rastede - 2023 Freibeuter, on sale from 2025, www.erste-owg.de
• Ingenhof, Malente/Malkwitz - 2022 Sauvitage, EUR 11, www.ingenhof.de
• Hohmann Winery, Rügen - 2022 Souvignier Gris, EUR 25.90, www.weingut-ruegen.com

Click here for the article: https: //www.feinschmecker.de/wein/wein-aus-norddeutschland - we are happy to be mentioned by "Der Feinschmecker" in the event of publication.