fall equinox

stefan steinmetz is a 5th generation winemaker at this estate, which started as a butcher, inn, guesthouse and farm in addition to a winery. he took over from his father at the age of 22 in 2000, and now runs the estate with his wife, sammie steinmetz, an american who, to her knowledge, is the sole black woman working in wine in the mosel. they practice ‘natural viticulture’ using no fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides and controlling yields and carefully harvesting and sorting by hand. same in the cellar – spontaneous fermentation and no additives of any kind. as stefan explains, his wines ‘should reflect the location, the soil, the microclimate and the characteristics of the vines, i.e. all the peculiarities of the environment in which they are grown’.  stefan and sammie call riesling the ‘queen of the grapes’. this 100% riesling is bone dry with citrus notes and slatey minerality!

this new and exciting winery is in the young but experienced hands of winemaker maria jover, who trained at one of spain’s top producers, vega sicilia. since its beginning, the winery is committed to preserving the “terraje” farming system whereby landholders rent their vineyard to the farmers, ensuring care and respect for the vines in return for a small percentage of production, ensuring the higher quality old vine fruit and higher pay for those tending the vines. this 100% organic macabeo with about a week of skin contact.  it has aromas of orange blossom and spice followed by flavors of melon and meyer lemon, bright acidity, and a dry almond finish.

colterenzio is a high quality and relatively new co-op in alto-adige – ‘new’ because it was started in 1960, and 60 years is young in this ancient wine producing region that has always been a moving border between italian and german speaking people. this alpine red takes it’s name from the vineyard where the grapes are grown and is made with 100% schiava. schiava is a pinot noir adjacent grape variety native to this area and the name comes from the latin word sclavus or the italian word schiavo, which means ‘slave’ – a reference to the vines being ‘enslaved’  by being tied to poles . i’s light, aromatic and tangy with wild berries and savory minerals. 

pedro peciña was the vineyard manager for almost 20 years at la rioja alta above. he also came from a long line of grape growers and his family had old vine vineyards that became the basis of his new estate when he decided to branch out on his own in the 1990s. his work at la rioja alta gave him insight into where the best vineyard sights in the region were, and he added these to his estate. his vineyards are 50+ year old vines. this ‘crianza’, which is usually the lightest and youngest aged riojas , is the equivalent of other producers’ reservas! it’s aged for 2 years in american oak and then another 2 years in bottle before release. red berries and spice, dried flowers, vanilla, tobacco, with a supple texture and silky tannins.