This rosé combines the globetrotting Pinot Noir with two varieties created by crossing in Germany, Dornfelder (Helfensteiner x Heroldrebe, 1956) and Domina (Blauer Portugieser x Pinot Noir, 1927). Both these grapes give wines with intense color and distinct tannic structure when made as classical reds, so it’s interesting (and unusual) to taste them in a direct press rosé version as Andi does here. 

The grapes are hand-harvested, then direct pressed to a 10-year-old 1250 liter barrel with an 80-year-old basket press. Juice ferments spontaneously and is left for 10 months on the full lees in barrels. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with zero addition of sulfur. 

Andi Weigand

Andi Weigand was introduced to us by way of our amazing Franken natural winemakers, 2Naturkinder. Andi’s father was the first to make wine in his family. Andi took over the winemaking duties from his dad in 2015, and in 2018 decided to make the conversion to organics and natural winemaking. He says his father, unusually for the area and his generation, was very supportive of his desire to go in this direction. He now works as a team with his father, directing all the winemaking decisions. His vineyards are located on the Iphöfer Kronsberg, a slope that features Keuper soil. He uses an 80-year-old basket press and very large wooden barrels. He makes all his wines without the use of fining or filtration, and never adds any sulfur.