Zehnthof Luckert Winery
The winery is located in the Zehnthof prince-bishop's residence built in Sulzfeld am Main, Lower Franconia in 1558, and is known for wines with a distinctive and mineral character. The vineyards covering 17 hectares belonging to the winery are cultivated by Ulrich Luckert, his brother Wolfgang and the latter's son Philipp.
Since 1955 the winery has belonged to the VDP. The Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (Association of German Quality Wineries) is a federation of around 200 wineries in Germany that promotes binding quality standards and - since 1990 - the ecological management of its members' vineyards. In terms of VDP classification the Zehnthof-Luckert range includes 'Gutsweine' (estate-bottled) wines, 'Erste Lage' (premier cru) wines from the Berg and Sonnenberg vineyards, as well as 'Grosse Lage' (grand cru) wines from the Maustal vineyard. The wines enjoy EU organic certification.
White wines from Zehnthof Luckert Winery
from Zehnthof Luckert Winery
The Zehnthof-Luckert wines have their own distinctive character and are consistently allowed to ferment in traditional wooden barrels, without the addition of sulfur and on their own yeast. Only after fermentation is complete do they undergo light sulfurisation, but then continue to rest on the full lees until bottling. As a result, these wines have a clearly defined minerality combined with transparency and clarity in the fruit, but at the same time feature a refined smoothness which is without comparison in Franconia. Zehnthof-Luckert is the only winery that grows all four Silvaner varieties: yellow, green, blue and red. A special feature of the winery are wines from the former "Creutz" vineyard, one of the oldest single-varietal Silvaner vineyards in Germany, which was planted as far back as 1870. In addition to the main Silvaner grape, which is clearly the Luckerts' favourite variety, Riesling, Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Müller-Thurgau, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc, among others, are also cultivated. The Silvaner grape is a varietal that excellently reflects the terroir on which it grows. Accordingly, the Zehnthof-Luckert wines clearly reflect their origin, namely Franconian shell limestone, a barren soil that does not forgive mistakes but produces wines which are complex and aromatic.
Producer
Maison Stéphan
Jean-Michel Stéphan has vinified more than 30 vintages of Côte-Rôtie and is one of the true masters of natural winemaking (vins naturels) in the northern Rhône region. His wines have a vibrant purity that makes them unmistakable, characterised by a balance of energy and transcendence that stems from his vision of making impeccable wines without any additives.
Weingut Rings
Weingut Rings, part of the Palatinate’s vineyard premier league, lies embedded in the sun-drenched Palatinate, right in the middle of the Freinsheim winegrowing district. For more than a decade, the new generation of the Rings family has been passionately concentrating on the ecological production of high quality dry wines. The hallmarks of Weingut Rings are well-balanced, dense wines with pronounced character and great cellar potential.
Weingut Nicolussi-Leck
The Kreithof, as the ancestral estate is known, is located near the idyllic Lake Caldaro in South Tyrol (Alto Adige) and has been cultivated by the Nicolussi-Leck family since 1915. Standing guard over it are the medieval ruins of Leuchtenburg Castle, which – like the estate – dates back to the 13th century and was presumably also associated with nearby Laimburg Castle in the Etsch Valley.