We are so excited to be part of this festival’s debut, surrounded by an awesome crew of natural winemakers from Texas and beyond. Catch us at the Raisin tent for posters, badges, storefront stickers, or just to say cheers🍷
The story of Koppitsch can be traced back to 500 years of natural winemaking in the beautiful hills and lake shores of Neusiedl am See, where 6 hectares of family tradition, the inspiration of Rudolf Steiner’s biodynamics, and hand-crafted motto makes up this domaine. The soils are limestone, clay, and nothing is done to take away from the purity produced here!
Koppitsch makes two different styles of wine – The “Authentisch” which are known for being the glou-glou type, lightly filtered, and minimal amounts of sulfur added. Then there is the completely unfiltered, zero sulfur added, longer fermented category, which is where this luscious rosé lands.
My first sip of this wine tasted like bright raspberry and cherry sunshine, and melted into a deeper ripe plum with a linear acidity and overall amazing juiciness. If you want candy in a wine glass, this is a good bet. All 5 grapes (Zweigelt, Blaufrankish, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir, and Syrah) are co-fermented, and matured on lees for 6 months. The result is a playful rosé in spirit, with a lot of personality to go with it. One sip will take you to the beach chair pictured on the label, right in the heart of Burgenland 🍬🍒☀️
There is so much going on here, it warrants a chapter in a book to lay it all out.
Anders started as quite a nomadic winemaker from his base way up north in Copenhagen. First as sommelier at Noma and Manfreds, then work got going further south with Jean-Marc Brignot, when he was still in the Jura, and with the Bannwarths in their semi continental Alsace vineyards. Anders and family are now settled in Valvignères in the Ardèche, making his main set of cuvées at Le Mazel domain.
But the work still goes on with his winemakers network.
This fabulous and interesting wine comes from the baking Alsace summer of 2015. This is wine from grapes and just grapes. Your zero zero approach. From limestone scattered marl on rolling hillsides below the Vosges forests.
Fermentation started in fibre tanks left outside for six months to settle and pose in the Alsace winter. That’s my idea of temperature controlled fermentation. Then the juice was brought into the Bannwarth’s cellar and moved to well aged barrels. I suspect a bit of secondary fermentation kicked in with spring temperatures. Two years passed with little interference and lots of checking and tasting. The barrels weren’t topped up, so there is a well defined oxidative tram to the wine.
We opened it in San Francisco. The wine was just off clear and a bit opaque. Making you think it will have volume, and it does – big style.
A bit oxidative on the nose and ripe, ripe white fruit. Lovely weight in the mouth, rich textures with super ripe pears. Looking for a bit of nuttiness but the rich ripe fruits chased it away. Great energy and tension, with acidity to balance the ripeness. Nice lingering bitter finish. The residual sugar is only 2 grams, but Anders texted me to say the memory of sugar is still there. This is terroir wine.
That terroir is based around these Alsace vineyards to the south of Colmar where Frick, Schueller, Ginglinger and Bannwarth are defining a particular natural wine style that sits with hot summers and freezing winters in the cellars.
It’s great to see an “outsider” like Anders, adding another piece to this puzzle.
This is another part of modern Alsace, painted on that canvas by an artisan winemaker with a wide range in his attitude and approach.
The basic tenet is to have consumers attend an event where they can meet the winemakers and importers, and taste the wines that they represent and love while talking to them face-to-face. The inaugural Soif was in March 2017, with 250 people tasting wines from 32 producers and importers. This 3rd annual Soif has grown with the demand of the people, with almost 80 winemakers and importers pouring over 350 wines for 600 attendees. The has been sold out for a month, without any advertising or even much media coverage. For those who didn’t get a ticket, there are several “off-Soif” events surrounding Sunday’s fair, so check the event website for details on who will be where.
We hope to see you there!
Since 2000, Frank uncompromisingly produces his edgy wines on the northern slopes of Etna at altitudes ranging from 600 to 1000m, wines which have contributed to the reputation of Etna as the most dynamic winegrowing region in Italy and of Nerello Mascalese as one of the great Italian varieties.
It is difficult to point out one single wine, but his Susucaru – since vintage 2018 with the addendum Rosato, certainly is something really special. This juicy rosé made from a blend of Malvasia, Moscadella, Inzolia and Nerello Mascalese is definitely funky stuff, and can also be regarded as a light red, like a pale Jura wine. But to be honest, this wine doesn’t need comparisons! Or in the words of Rapper Action Bronson: “I been waiting for this Susucaru all my life.”And so did we…
Jean-Hugues Bretin, creator of the app, as well as Cédric Blatrie, partner, will be there with us. The perfect moment to discuss and discover all new features on the app, like scanning wine labels to discover what you’re actually drinking… and a lot of other new stuff!
Happy to welcome you there, of course with a glass of natural wine in hand!