2024's yields were lower than usual, so winemaker Alanna Lagamba combined all fruit into a new, singular wine in lieu of her usual sparkling red & sparkling rosé. Think of it as a combination of both! Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Müller Thurgau, and Riesling all vinified separately and blended thereafter.
Channeling her Italian heritage, her aim was to make a German Lambrusco, and the results are delicious. In Alanna’s own words: “A self-proclaimed feminist, the idea behind the name of the wine (Frauen Power = Girl Power) came easily. Being so lucky as to have so many strong and powerful women in my life who inspire me every day, this wine is dedicated not only to them but to all women out there (and all who identify as such).”
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Alanna LaGamba didn't grow up dreaming of becoming a winemaker. Her introduction to natural wine came while working at an Italian restaurant during university, where an unlikely glass of orange wine from Denavolo opened her eyes to an entirely different side of wine. After graduating with a degree in art history, she moved to Berlin, eventually finding work as a sommelier at the natural wine bar JAJA. It was there that her interest in wine became something much more serious.
At a wine fair in Berlin, Alanna met Martin Wörner of Marto Wines, who had returned to his family's vineyards in Rheinhessen after working with Tom Lubbe at Matassa. She visited him in Flonheim for what was supposed to be a week, stayed for the 2018 harvest, and eventually made the move permanent. The two became partners in both life and winemaking, working together in the vineyards and cellar while developing their own individual projects.
Alanna's first wine came about almost by accident. She wanted to make Pinot Noir, but Martin wasn't willing to part with the fruit from a young vineyard he'd been waiting years to harvest. Instead, he offered her Dornfelder, a dark-skinned German variety he wasn't particularly excited about. Drawing on her Italian heritage and childhood memories of Lambrusco, Alanna decided to make a German interpretation of the sparkling red wine. In 2019, Frauen Power was born, a blend of Dornfelder and Silvaner that quickly became her signature.
The name Frauen Power, meaning "Girl Power," was inspired by an old record belonging to Martin's mother, a woman Alanna greatly admires. It's also a tribute to the strong women who have shaped her life, and a reflection of her desire to establish her own identity in an industry that hasn't always made much room for women. Although she and Martin share much of the physical work, Alanna has made a point of keeping Vin de LaGamba her own creative outlet, with a particular focus on sparkling wines.
Their vineyards around Flonheim are farmed organically, with an emphasis on healthy soils and biodiversity. Cover crops grow between the rows, the soil is left unplowed, and grazing animals help manage vegetation. In the cellar, Alanna works with spontaneous fermentations, no fining or filtration, and no added sulfur. Her wines are often made from unconventional blends of German grape varieties, with different fermentation and skin-contact methods bringing out unexpected sides of the fruit.
What makes Alanna's wines so enjoyable is that they reflect her own curiosity and enthusiasm for wine. She came into winemaking without the weight of family tradition or a formal education in viticulture, learning through experience, experimentation, and a lot of tasting. Her sparkling wines are colorful, energetic, and full of character, but there's real thought and hard work behind them. Alanna takes farming and winemaking seriously without insisting that drinking wine has to be a serious affair.
