Weingut Bianka und Daniel Schmitt, Flörsheim-Dalsheim, Wonnegau, southern Rheinhessen, and a pair who’ve done a huge amount to change what people think this region can be. Daniel’s family has been on this land for over 230 years, originally cereal and sugar beet farmers, with Daniel and his Hungarian-born wife Bianka taking over in 2012 as the fourth generation. Rheinhessen has long been known for bulk production, and these two went the other way.
Sixteen hectares, Demeter biodynamic, one of only about 80 producers in Germany with certification. They learned their biodynamics from the legendary Alsace vigneron Patrick Meyer, working to the lunar calendar with horn manure, horn silica and cover crops, no synthetic inputs, and a deliberate push to build biotopes that bring wildlife back to the vineyard. Clay, limestone and sandstone soils, hand harvested, with yields kept low.
In the cellar it’s spontaneous ferments, neutral oak and amphora, no fining, no filtration, and a Natur line with zero added sulphur. The range is a wonderfully unfussy mix. Freiheit Weiss, a Grauburgunder, Riesling and Sylvaner blend, is all gooseberry, bright flowers and ripe apple. Nieder-Flörsheimer Spätburgunder comes off loam, clay and limestone marl. Frei Körper Kultur, their pet-nat fizz, is crunchy grapefruit and strawberry, built for drinking in the sun. There’s an orange called Voodoo Doll, a cider called Sandor, and more than a dozen experiments in total.
Rheinhessen’s now the epicentre of a new wave in German winemaking, and Bianka and Daniel are right in the middle of it. Playful labels, serious farming, wines that get rounder and more harmonious the longer the bottle’s open.
Joyful, honest and alive. Exactly what German natural wine should be.
Weingut Bianka und Daniel Schmitt, Flörsheim-Dalsheim, Wonnegau, southern Rheinhessen, and a pair who’ve done a huge amount to change what people think this region can be. Daniel’s family has been on this land for over 230 years, originally cereal and sugar beet farmers, with Daniel and his Hungarian-born wife Bianka taking over in 2012 as the fourth generation. Rheinhessen has long been known for bulk production, and these two went the other way.
Sixteen hectares, Demeter biodynamic, one of only about 80 producers in Germany with certification. They learned their biodynamics from the legendary Alsace vigneron Patrick Meyer, working to the lunar calendar with horn manure, horn silica and cover crops, no synthetic inputs, and a deliberate push to build biotopes that bring wildlife back to the vineyard. Clay, limestone and sandstone soils, hand harvested, with yields kept low.
In the cellar it’s spontaneous ferments, neutral oak and amphora, no fining, no filtration, and a Natur line with zero added sulphur. The range is a wonderfully unfussy mix. Freiheit Weiss, a Grauburgunder, Riesling and Sylvaner blend, is all gooseberry, bright flowers and ripe apple. Nieder-Flörsheimer Spätburgunder comes off loam, clay and limestone marl. Frei Körper Kultur, their pet-nat fizz, is crunchy grapefruit and strawberry, built for drinking in the sun. There’s an orange called Voodoo Doll, a cider called Sandor, and more than a dozen experiments in total.
Rheinhessen’s now the epicentre of a new wave in German winemaking, and Bianka and Daniel are right in the middle of it. Playful labels, serious farming, wines that get rounder and more harmonious the longer the bottle’s open.
Joyful, honest and alive. Exactly what German natural wine should be.
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