Accompanying Wine, Not Making Wine

Wines are not made, they are accompanied. That is the credo with which Joachim Wolf and his team work at the Oberstein Estate Winery in Cermes. “Our vision is to make wines without a lot of technology and to give them the necessary time to mature in the large wooden barrels,” says Wolf. “In the end, it is not we who determine the maturity. It is time.”

But one thing is clear: this concept only applies if the quality of the raw materials – that is, the grapes – is right. And that quality begins in the vineyard. In keeping with the concept, at the Oberstein Estate Winery in Cermes that is achieved through prudence and restraint, which leads to reduced yields and high quality.

Added to this is the fact that Mother Nature has been especially kind to the Oberstein Estate Winery in Cermes. The estate’s vineyard is located on steep slopes with a southeastern exposure at an elevation of 400 to 500 meters (1,300 to 1,600 feet) above sea level. Its foundation is formed by light, permeable, loamy sandy soils that are pervaded with porous, slaty, granite rock material. The latter lends the wines of the Oberstein Estate Winery a prominent mineral-rich quality.

The location, elevation, and soils shape the terroir as much as the great temperature fluctuations between day and night, which are especially noticeable in the autumn. “All of these factors and our extensive philosophy of work both in the vineyard and in the winery yield a unique combination and form the basis for excellent wines with great recognition value,” Wolf says.