we had just left traben-trarbach when we met at the goldgrube vineyard. we walked up a path to vollenweider’s plots where a young man working with moritz explained the vineyard, its ideal exposure and, astonishingly, that it takes 2000 hours per acre to produce wine on the goldgrub because of how steep the slope is. 40 hours x 50 weeks is 2000 hours so basically a 9-5 scrunched into debilitating stints on vertigo inducing slopes.
after descending to the vehicles we drove a short distance to the winery where stephen bitterolf, importer, vom boden, introduced us to moritz and they told the story of vollenweider together in a hopeful but solemn tone.
“in 2022, much too early, daniel vollenweider passed away. moritz hoffmann, who found his way here from the wine-producing village alf, a bit downstream from traben-trarbach, is driven by the same ideas and by exactly the same sense for the products’ standards. no ifs, ands, or buts.”
bitterolf had hopeful concern for the colossal shoes young moritz has filled. maybe it was my unenlightened view, having barely met stephan and just been introduced to moritz and the wines, but the sanctity i experienced in the tasting room that afternoon was way more than a glimmer of hope for an estate in transition, a region in transition, and a globe in transition. i was taken back by the structure. structure from the wine, from the vineyard, from the house, from the room, from the air in the room, from moritz and the team all making it all happen. it made me grateful.
it was all really nice and it did occur to me that we could be being buttered up and a rich price sheet would materialize. i assumed we were drinking really expensive wine and, cringing as i type, someday these wines will become quite more expensive. this is due to their ity's. that is, quality, scarcity and inevitability of fame. it would just take a season of white lotus or a cameo on the bear, and the mosel will be doomed for stardom, and in turn, the price of these wines. i am grateful to be aware of vollenweider now and that we have access to the wines at a price we can afford to drink them.
on sunday august 25th our friend mr. collin moody from vom boden will host a tasting from 2-4 pm. tickets are available here. we open for normal business at 5 pm and the wines will be featured on our menu during and after the tasting. there will be an opportunity to pre-order your claim on the 2023er' weingut vollenweider illinois allocation. pre-orders will be limited and tasting attendees have priority.
see you there,
cheers!