Wine Diary
The winemakers heart leaps for joy
Young Lyra at the Heiligenstein
We have just finished a small, beautiful new planting on the famous Zöbinger Heiligenstein! Pairs of young acacia posts were driven into the barren sandstone soil in V-shape. They now are shining brightly from the pleasingly lush green between the vine rows. The winter sowing with lots of red clover has developed very well here! The green embankments as well are a feast for the eyes and an important contribution to biodiversity!
The Long Road to Great Wine
These exemplary four new Heiligenstein terraces are planted with Riesling vines from our own selection. When we enjoy a glass of perfectly mature Heiligenstein from the oldest Riesling vines, which grow just a few metres above, we realise once again how long it takes a winegrower to achieve the conditions for such great wines, even in the best terroir: On a winter's day five years ago, we took one-year-old branches with just a few buds from the strongest shoots of the oldest vines. In the vine nursery, these were grafted onto so-called ‘rootstock vines’ and have been kept there for 2-3 years. We have recently planted the successfully grown scions. It will take another 3-4 years until the vine is strong enough to produce its first fine grapes. Such young fruit of renowned origin is already yielding enchanting wines that will be most welcome in our ‘Kamptal Terrassen‘ for many years to come. In order to bear the name Heiligenstein, however, they will have to grow for at least another 7 years, build deeper roots and a stronger framework, in order to finally produce the deep, complex wines for which our Zöbinger Heiligenstein is so highly regarded.