Handmade wines

Character wines with rough edges

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CHARACTER WINES WITH ROUGH EDGES

MADE WITH  IN ESSENHEIM

 

Artisanal wines developed by detail-loving work and intensive care for vineyards and old vines. The possibility of letting nature take its course in every step of the winemaking process and only controlling the things that can be changed, creates wines that are a mirror of their origin.

 

The conscious waiver of superfluous interventions is the bravest way of winemaking, as we live it in natural, sustainable viticulture.

Responsibility

Sustainable viticulture

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SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE

FAIR'N GREEN

"Working today that future generations still have all the options"

 

Our thoughts and actions have always been influenced by sustainability. It was logical to show our efforts and actions with a strong partner. FAIR'N GREEN is the only holistic approach in the wine industry which we would like to follow into the future.

 

Future-oriented

ECONOMY, ECOLOGY, SOCIAL

Efforts to live and work in a sustainable manner can be illustrated in three areas: economy, ecology and social.

The strength of sustainability is the balance between these topics: No aspect can be overemphasized at the expense of another. Pure profit maximization with ecological consequential damage is not sensible in the long term, nor would an eco-fixation that cannot survive economically be successful.

We try to live sustainability as a whole through these main points.

SUSTAINABILITY

ECOLOGY

  • We work with colorful greenery in our vineyards to support biodiversity and soil life
  • We produce solar power for the operational processes on our roofs
  • We collect rainwater to reduce the need for fresh water
  • We cultivate old vines and traditional grape varieties
  • We invest in energy efficiency and resource conservation
  • We use light weight glass bottles and save resources in transportation
  • We use boxes, corks, etc. from sustainable and fair cultivation

SUSTAINABILITY

ECONOMY

  • We invest in energy efficiency and resource conservation
  • We constantly invest in the modernization of the winery
  • We value regional economic cycles and buy our products in the region whenever possible

SUSTAINABILITY

SOCIAL

  • We offer apprenticeships, educate and offer young people a future in viticulture and in our company
  • We support non-profit associations and projects in the region
  • We are involved in professional organizations and work on the further development of the region and its viticulture

FAIR'N GREEN

More information about sustainability?

Cellar secrets

Tranquility in it's purest form

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Quietly resting, calm and slow. The philosophy in our cellar is based on minimal intervention. We give our wines the time they need to develop without unnecessary intervening.

deep, cool, dark and thick walls

CELLAR

After a summer in the intensiv sun of Rheinhessen, we select only healthy and very ripe grapes for our wines in the vineyard. The strength and intensity of the grapes derives from nature itself. Preserving the aromas and elgance of the grapes is our job in the cellar.

We are convinced that long time ripening in the winecellar and slow winemaking in harmony with nature allows the unadulterated taste of the wines to mature in the most focused way. Our team accompanies the fermentation process and the maturation of the wines, from the large steel tanks to the smallest barrel.

Great wines need oak! Our new cellar gives us the opportunity work with more wooden barrels and in optimal conditions to support the maturation of the wines. The oldest barrel was built in 1936 and has accompanied over 80 vintages of the finest wines.

Sekt | German sparkling wine

Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles....

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'Winzersekt' is germany's take on champagne. A second fermentation in the bottle with a defined period of maturation on the yeast is just one of the many quality assets of a 'Winzersekt'.

Brut is the new nice!

SEKTMACHER

Our French-influenced family history still plays a major role at the winery today, more than 350 years later.
A now 50-year family friendship with champagne vintner at Vallée de la Marne led us to our first own sparkling wine.

Since 1989

SEKT | WINZERSEKT

'Winzersekt' made from traditional grape varieties in the cool-climate Selz Valley, manufactured according to the traditional method. One of the special quality features of our sparkling wines, in addition to the high altitude for fresh and juicy wines, is also the immense time the wine spends just "laying around" on the yeast to mature. Specifically for that we designed a sparkling wine cellar to meet our quality demands.

True to our mantra "Characteristic wines with rough edges you can taste the Selz Valley in our sparkling wines: cool, chalky and vibrant, like the wind in the Selz Valley. A fine perlage, pleasant acidity, elegant fruit and soft notes of brioche are characteristics of our sparkling wines.

FOR A 'SEKTMAKER' SEKT MEANS USING THE TRADITIONAL METHOD FROM LOCAL GRAPES.

The quality of high-quality sparkling wine begins with the conscious cultivation of the vineyard and the careful selection of the local grapes, which determine the quality of the base wine. The traditional, second fermentation in the bottle is the irrefutable method when it comes to conjuring up the finest perlage and an unmistakable aroma in the wine. It is precision work with a sure instinct and, with its very special requirements, is pretty much the most complex discipline in winemaking.

The Association of 'Sektmacher' sees itself as a mouthpiece and platform for this traditional, artisan way of making sparkling wine.

VINEYARDS | BASE OF QUALITY

Sparkling wine grapes need special care even on the vine. Because a perfect base wine for sparkling wine can only mature from excellent, gently pressed grapes. The right timing plays an enormous role in achieving a balance between maturity and freshness.

LOVE FOR THE BASE WINE

Now the fine art begins in the cellar. The skill is in to blend the ideal base for the sparkling wine. To perfectly match the grape varieties, or to blend wines aged in different vessels (wood, steel, small barrels, large barrels) together.

ONTO THE BOTTLE

Another foreign word: tirage = adding mixture. Now it gets exciting. The tirage liqueur (made of wine, yeast and sugar) is added to the still base wine and filled precisely into the bottle that it will never leave until the end..

LONG YEAST STORING TIME

According to wine law, the traditional method requires 9 months of maturation in the bottle. During this time, autolysis of the yeast and the reductive aging of the base wine change the aroma structure and also improve the effervescence. For our members, the standard is usually 24 months or more, which greatly enhances the aforementioned positive effects.

A life long sur lattes!

RIDDLING | REMUAGE

After the second fermentation and aging on the lees, the yeast deposit has to be removed.
The bottles are placed in so-called riddling racks for this purpose. They are initially horizontal and then traditionally brought into a vertical position in 21 days little by little from this "resting" position. During this process, the yeast slides more and more into the bottle neck. The modern equivalent is the use of riddling boxes that automate the same process. The effect on the sparkling wine is identical.

DISGORGING | DÉGORGEMENT

The yeast deposit, now sitting in the bottle neck, is briefly frozen to optimize the disgorging process. This is called "degorgement à la glace". The bottle is then opened with the help of a disgorging iron. The frozen yeast plug flies out under a pressure of approximately 5 to 6 bar. This base wine is always "brut nature", i.e., completely without residual sugar.

DOSAGE

Before the sparkling wine cork and the agraffe finally seal the bottle, the sparkling wine is given its desired flavor by adding the dosage d'expédition (a liqueur made of wine and sugar). There is still the possibility of adding wines with natural residual sugar content such as Beerenauslesen or Eiswein to give the sparkling wine a special note. Generally, due to the excellent base wines, our sparkling wines require very low dosage and are usually at the lower end of brut.

Brut ist the new Nice!

HAPPY SEKTMAKER

Now, after many elaborate steps of the traditional bottle fermentation, the sparkling wine is finally ready and waiting to pop the cork! By the way, we believe it is better to store the wine upright than lying down. With proper storage conditions, Sektmacher's sparkling wines can mature in the cellar for many years and do not necessarily have to be consumed when young.