Skin Contact
10. November 2008 | 16:00
While our sekt (sparkling) base wine was pressed immediately, without leaving time for the crushed berries to remain in contact with the grape skins, these are the weeks of skin contact: the late autumn berries, which now shine a greenish gold, are destemmed, before leaving juice and berry skins for one to two days.
The resulting wine is more substantial and reflects the varietal more strongly.
While skin contact is important it must never be too strong, otherwise the wine will become broad, bitter, and lacking in elegance.
Autumn brings its own challenges, and we have netted in a small part of our precious Riesling vines on the Heiligenstein in order to protect them from marauding deer and birds. The remaining leaves have been removed from under the nets, allowing the berries to dry off perfectly.