Wines - The Story
When the Badische Winzerkeller approached me for the first time in 2009 whether they could use my name for one of the company's wine lines, I wasn't very interested.
Winegrowers' cooperatives do not have a good reputation in Germany. After a few phone calls, I booked a ticket and flew to a personal meeting. If someone calls so persistently over and over again you should at least understand what the drive is.
The meeting and the conversations were only moderately interesting. But from the point at which a manager proudly reported that the Badische Winzerkeller was the owner of the largest vineyard area (1,700 ha) in Germany, my interest suddenly awoke.
Since my first steps in the wine industry, every winemaker (no matter if unknown and small or world-famous Bordeaux wineries) has told me how important selection in the vineyard is for the quality of the wines. With one hectare, choosing the best parcels is difficult, but with 1,700 hectares in all regions of the Baden wine-growing region, it should be possible to separate the best parts of each harvest. I asked for a map of the vineyards and guessed some of the best locations in Baden. When I asked if there were vineyards here, the answer was always yes.
Great and a unique opportunity!
I rebooked my flight for the next evening and drove with the cellar master to some of the most famous vineyards in the region. In a cooperative, the individual vineyards belong to different owners and everyone is responsible for their own smaller or larger parcel. Just looking at the vineyards you can see who has the right attitude to produce top quality grapes. With these comrades we discussed and agreed special conditions for the care, treatment and harvest in their vineyards.
For this special work and the additional effort, the winegrowers receive a higher price when they deliver their grapes in autumn. Today we are in a position to always choose the perfect grape quality from a large variety of the best vineyards in southern Baden. This enables the production of excellent wines even in mediocre vintages. In the cellar, the utmost care is also exercised in winemaking. The grapes from different locations, harvest dates and degrees of ripeness are matured individually in small containers. In the end, the wines are composed from individual lots with different characteristics.
The very best qualities are vinified individually in small lots, matured in used and new barriques and later the cuvées of the respective Konzept wine are created. We have been producing the Peter Steger Konzept Chardonnay, Peter Steger Konzept Pinot Noir since the 2015 vintage and since 2014 the Peter Steger Konzept Vintage Brut Sparkling Wines.
The cooperation between the cellar master and sommelier results in excellent wine quality.
Winegrowers' cooperatives do not have a good reputation in Germany. After a few phone calls, I booked a ticket and flew to a personal meeting. If someone calls so persistently over and over again you should at least understand what the drive is.
The meeting and the conversations were only moderately interesting. But from the point at which a manager proudly reported that the Badische Winzerkeller was the owner of the largest vineyard area (1,700 ha) in Germany, my interest suddenly awoke.
Since my first steps in the wine industry, every winemaker (no matter if unknown and small or world-famous Bordeaux wineries) has told me how important selection in the vineyard is for the quality of the wines. With one hectare, choosing the best parcels is difficult, but with 1,700 hectares in all regions of the Baden wine-growing region, it should be possible to separate the best parts of each harvest. I asked for a map of the vineyards and guessed some of the best locations in Baden. When I asked if there were vineyards here, the answer was always yes.
Great and a unique opportunity!
I rebooked my flight for the next evening and drove with the cellar master to some of the most famous vineyards in the region. In a cooperative, the individual vineyards belong to different owners and everyone is responsible for their own smaller or larger parcel. Just looking at the vineyards you can see who has the right attitude to produce top quality grapes. With these comrades we discussed and agreed special conditions for the care, treatment and harvest in their vineyards.
For this special work and the additional effort, the winegrowers receive a higher price when they deliver their grapes in autumn. Today we are in a position to always choose the perfect grape quality from a large variety of the best vineyards in southern Baden. This enables the production of excellent wines even in mediocre vintages. In the cellar, the utmost care is also exercised in winemaking. The grapes from different locations, harvest dates and degrees of ripeness are matured individually in small containers. In the end, the wines are composed from individual lots with different characteristics.
The very best qualities are vinified individually in small lots, matured in used and new barriques and later the cuvées of the respective Konzept wine are created. We have been producing the Peter Steger Konzept Chardonnay, Peter Steger Konzept Pinot Noir since the 2015 vintage and since 2014 the Peter Steger Konzept Vintage Brut Sparkling Wines.
The cooperation between the cellar master and sommelier results in excellent wine quality.
