2018 Enderle & Moll Müller-Thurgau

Region: Baden < Germany            

Grapes: Müller-Thurgau

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic, some biodynamic farming, from vineyards in Baden and Mosel, Baden fruit fermented on skins for 3-4 days, the Mosel fruit for one. After pressing, 30-40% of the grapes skins are added back into the tank and the wine sits on the lees for 8-9 months, bottled unfined, unfiltered with minimal SO2 at bottling; 11.5% ABV

Winemakers: Sven Enderle and Florian Moll

Former punk rockers with big beards, Sven Enderle and Florian Moll met in wine school and reunited post internships to start up their winery in the Black Forest foothills. Now they’re big on the on the natural wine circuit, working with some of the region's oldest vines, having evolved into wholesome biodynamic farmers -- with a motto that translates into Nothing Without Pain. Just when you think it couldn’t get any weirder, we bring you this skin contact Müller-Thurgau -- and orange Müller isn’t really a thing.

But first let us consider the place from which it hails, Baden, Germany, where natural wine isn’t even a thing. Kind of like the Central Valley of California, where organic farming and artisanal wine is just the tiniest drop in the bucket of cheap industrial plonk. Baden, where Sven Enderle and Florian Moll are based, is the Central Valley of Germany. Here large co-ops loom large, and the winemaking is infamous for the de rigueur use of enzymes, sugar additions and color fixers -- not to mention the chemical farming. Sven and Florian stand out starkly against this landscape. They farm less than 5 hectares, all separated into different plots, one of which measures just .045 hectares, with farming practices that go way beyond organic. They don’t use any of the sprays sanctioned by the organic certification, except sulfur, and only when absolutely necessary. Same goes for winemaking, which is hands off as a rule, no additions to change the fruit mother nature gives them. Finally, and perhaps most impressively, they boldly label their wines ‘Tafelwein’ or ‘table wine’, a move that conventional growers would consider ridiculous anyway, but especially flies in the face of the traditional German values of following the rules and respecting hierarchy. But, it turns out that all of this rebelliousness makes for damn tasty wine! 

Like this juicy, aromatic Müller-Thurgau. whose brief skin contact gives just a slight sense of tannin within the sea of juicy, ripe peach, apricot and apple-y acidity. Perfect with food that is a little on the spicier side. Orange wine lovers take note, this is a new, fresh take on the genre, and so perfect for spring weather and food.