Weingut am Kaiserbaum - Precision and harmony in everything!

Which is your favourite wine that you produce?

Although I usually prefer dry wines, I would say that the Gewürztraminer Riesling is my favourite wine to drink. Not only can you wonderfully pair it with food, cheese for example, but you also can enjoy it “simply” on its own. Did you know that the two grape varieties Gewürztraminer and Riesling are both typical for our region, the Pfalz? The three most important Gewürztraminer regions are South Tirol, Alsace and Pfalz and our Gewürztraminer vineyards consist of vines from all of these regions. By combining these two great grape varieties, we create a wine full of the typical and beautiful Gewürztraminer aroma and the freshness of the Riesling. For me, this is perfect harmony.

Describe your best wine and food pairing?

I personally love pairing our Rieslaner Auslese with chocolate mousse together with some fruit. This wine is wonderfully balanced between acidity and residual sugar. Although the Auslese is just the first of three stages of sweet wines, meaning “selected harvest”, its sweetness is still quite intense and, therefore, presents the perfect match for this combination of chocolate and fruits with light acidity, for example peaches and pineapples.

What is the biggest challenge when making wine on your estate?

The biggest challenge when producing wine probably is the weather. There could be hail, heavy rain, frost in May or not enough rain, just to name a few examples. The weather generally has a great impact on each vintage every year and in the last few years the weather conditions, additionally, have greatly changed. Although vine is relatively adaptable, winemakers still have to react accordingly to the weather and they also have to notice possible changes and adapt to these changes. 20 years ago, for example, the average harvesting time was at the end of September until the end of October. Nowadays, since many of the last few years were significantly warmer than before, the wine harvest is mainly in September.

When not producing wine, what do you enjoy doing?

Since I have quite a challenging job, it is really important for me to have a relaxing hobby which compensates the stress. For me this means going for a jog, playing the piano and, of course, enjoying a nice glass of wine. ;)