Gunther Steinmetz
By David Keck
Welcome to September, everyone! As we enter the new season, over here at VT Wine Shepherd, we’re excited to also be expanding into new and delicious territory with the portfolio. With Fall we’re proud to introduce the first German wines in the portfolio!
A couple of quick points that are always worth making with respect to German wine at this particular juncture. First is that the majority of wine consumed in Germany at this point is actually DRY. And to be clear, Riesling, one of the greatest grapes on the planet, is, in fact, extremely versatile, and can be dry, sweet super sweet, dry and bubbly, in fact, other than red or rosé, can basically make most of the styles of wine one might want to consume! But the Germans are also making some truly spectacular red wines as well, and we’re looking forward to bringing in some new and delicious things…
We begin with Gunther Steinmetz from the Mosel! Picture an idyllic river, winding its way through small German villages, with crazy steep slopes planted with grapes. Obviously requiring mostly hand-harvesting by workers often harnessed in so they don’t tumble to their untimely demise on the banks of the river, these grapes are grown at the northern end of what viticulture will allow, and as a result are filled with bright acidity and pure fruit.
The Steinmetz family live in the middle Mosel town of Brauneberg, with just 11.8 hectares (29 acres) planted to vine. Stefan Steinmetz currently is the winemaker, taking it over from his father, Herr Hans Günther, who took it over from his father Wilhelm, who took it over from his father, August, who started the winery in the late 19th century! Today, Stefan makes the wines and manages the estate with his mother, Edith, and help from his wife, Sammie.
The wines themselves are clean, very traditional, and extremely expressive of the steep, slate covered slopes in which the grapes are grown. Stefan ferments in a combination of stainless steel and old oak barrels (Old Skooooool), allowing the wines to go dry if they are inclined, retain some residual sugar if that’s what the juice wants, malolactic fermentation if it wants, resulting in very intuitive, but precise, beautifully made wines.
There are more wines available, and expect to see more of the Steinmetz line in Vermont, but we’ve started with:
Basilisk Riesling 2018
Riesling 2017 (1L bottles!)
Riesling 2018 (in 19.5L KEGS!)
Brauneberger Juffer Kabinett Riesling 2016 (gorgeous wine from a top site—just enough sweetness to pair with that awesome spicy Thai dish you’ve been perfecting)
Pinot Noir 2018 (yeah, that’s right, German Pinot, and it’s AWESOME)
We’re very excited to welcome the Steinmetz wines to the portfolio and hope that you enjoy them!