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Vinification in amphoraeImage: Makalu via Pixabay
Vinification in amphorae. Over 6000 years ago, winemakers in the Caucasus region – particularly in Georgia – began fermenting and aging their wines in large, clay amphorae buried underground, known as Qvevri. This archaic technique, in which must together with skins, stems, and seeds rests for months in unglazed vessels, was not merely a necessity, but a profound expression of the connection between nature, craftsmanship, and culture. With the industrialization of winemaking, amphorae fell largely into obscurity in the Western world. Stainless steel tanks, temperature-controlled fermentation, and barrique barrels set new standards. Yet today, in a deliberate move away from these methods, more and more winemakers are rediscovering the Qvevri – in search of authenticity, sensory depth, and microbiological diversity. Thanks to their porous surface, Qvevri allow micro-oxidation und provide ideal conditions for unfined, vibrant natural wines. The return of the amphora is therefore not merely a passing trend, but a reflection of a fundamental philosophy of artisanal winemaking: a return to the origins, with a thoughtful eye toward the future.

Our Latest Ratings

WinerosédryBlauer Spätburgunder

2025 Spätburgunder Rosé Qualitätswein trocken

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2589227 7 25 • 12 % vol alcohol

14🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

Winewhiteoff-dryWeißer Riesling

2024 “Queen's Riesling” Lieser Niederberg-Helden Riesling Qualitätswein feinherb

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2589227 19 25 • 11 % vol alcohol

15.5🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

Sparkling winewhitebrutWeißer Riesling

2023 Riesling Sekt brut

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Lot number 61 2025 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

16🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

WinewhitedryChardonnay

2025 Chardonnay Qualitätswein trocken

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2589227 9 26 • 12.5 % vol alcohol

15🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

WinewhitesweetWeißer Riesling

2025 Riesling Qualitätswein Hochgewächs

Thanisch, Lieser

Germany

Mosel • Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (g. U.)

Amtliche Prüfungsnummer 2589377 12 26 • 8.5 % vol alcohol

14.5🯅🕓

Tasted on 14 May 2026 by Werner Elflein

Symbols
🯅The rating of the wine is based on a single taster. The taster is named in the context of the rating. The tasting was either open or blind. In case of a blind tasting, it is explicitly labelled as such.
🯅🯅The rating of the wine is based on two tasters. The tasters are named in the context of the rating. The tasting was carried out according to the four-eyes principle, in which both tasters agree on a joint rating.
🯅🯅🯅The rating is based on a tasting by our jury and indicates the Mean value calculated by us from the individual ratings of the tasters. Our mean value is based on the median.
⚖The wine was evaluated in a blind tasting. We have strict rules for blind tastings. The tasters do not receive any information that would allow them to identify the wines. The tasters are only given access to further information that goes beyond the subject matter if it is absolutely necessary for understanding the wines.
🕓We only had limited time to taste the wine  - typically during an open tasting event, such as a wine fair. It was therefore not possible to observe the development of the wine in the glass over a longer period of time. The informative value of our rating may therefore be limited under certain circumstances.
⛬The wine was tasted as a barrel sample or before an official test number (Amtliche Prüfungsnummer or Staatliche Prüfnummer) was issued. We only accept samples of unfilled wines in exceptional cases, and then only if we can assume sufficient stability in the bottle for a period of at least three months.
▲During our tasting, the wine showed conspicuous sensory characteristics. This does not necessarily have to be a wine fault. We categorise the quality and quantity of the abnormality and include it in the rating. Wine faults such as cork taint or an atypical ageing generally lead to a complete rejection.
Tastings that refer to the same bottle of a wine are visually summarised by a dotted line.

Our Latest Posts

Satire

Wellness for the Vineyards

Massage Techniques for Vines are Revolutionising Viticulture
Image: weinfreaks.de
In spring, even before the vines begin to bud, the first seasonal workers are already busy tending the vines in the Saar vineyards. At the famous Scharzhofberg, the focus is not on pruning or tilling the soil. Instead, you see the workers bent over the vines, massaging the wood with their hands just a few centimetres above the root zone.
Facts

The Rescue of Moselle Apollo and Steep-Slope Viticulture

Melanargia and Deutsche Umwelthilfe Have Lost at the Court, Rescue Measures for the Moselle Apollo are Effective
Image: Detlef Mader
At the end of 2023, we reported for the first time on the serious threat to the Moselle Apollo butterfly. In April 2025, a report was published on the feared imminent extinction of the unique knight butterfly and the absurd lawsuit brought by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Melanargia – Rheinisch-Westfälischer Lepidopterologen (AGL) and the Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) for a ban on helicopter spraying in steep-slope viticulture on the Moselle, which has since been rejected by the administrative courts in four rulings. Therefore, there are now renewed hope.
Facts

When Wine Disappears

On the Erosion of a Culture of Enjoyment
Image: Pixabay
Wine is more than just a matter of taste or fashion. It is a structural element of everyday life and has long been embedded in social rituals and cultural habits. In the post-war period, especially from the 1950s onwards, wine became a symbol of stability, routine and prosperity. The integration of wine into everyday life was not a luxury phenomenon, but rather an expression of the social and economic conditions of the time, which were characterised by predictable career paths, stable incomes and clear social milieus.
Comment

Dry January

Moral Imperative or Cultureless Dogmatism?
Image: Pixabay
At the beginning of each year, the collective abstinence parade known as Dry January begins anew. A whole month without alcohol, marketed as an act of self-control, as a contribution to physical regeneration, as a signal of a “sensible lifestyle”. Those who opt out of this ritual quickly find themselves under pressure to justify their decision. What appears to be a voluntary health initiative, however, on closer inspection turns out to be a media-driven standardisation project that suppresses enjoyment, culture and differentiation in favour of simple messages.
Obituary

Remembering Hans-Günter Schwarz

On the Death of the Legendary Winemaker
Image: Wikipedia
Germany's wine world is in mourning. Hans-Günter Schwarz passed away on 21 November 2025 at the age of 84. For decades, Schwarz was arguably the most prominent figure in the German wine scene. He established the international reputation of the Müller-Catoir winery and trained many young winemakers to become top producers. His achievements remain unrivalled to this day.
Comment

Terroir and Misunderstanding

Why the Grape Variety Matters
Image: weinfreaks.de
“A spectre is haunting the world of wine. Its name is terroir.” [translated] With these words, Reinhard Löwenstein once opened his famous essay “Vom Öchsle zum Terroir” (From Oechsle to Terroir), published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in October 2003. The article was preceded by years of discussion that had shaped the German wine scene since at least the late 1990s. Löwenstein's essay was of enormous importance to the discourse at the time. In many respects, it is still highly topical. Nevertheless, the headline itself contains a serious misunderstanding.
Tasting

Bordeaux: 2022 a Vintage of the Century?

Great Wines despite Great Drought
Image: weinfreaks.de
Apostrophising a vintage as the vintage of the century even before a centenary has passed may seem premature. However, with regard to the 2022s from the Bordeaux region, the assessment that exceptional wines were produced in that year is undoubtedly anything but bold. Of course, not all châteaux were able to triumph. Moreover, the 2022 was anything but a sure-fire success. The course of the vintage presented the winemakers with major challenges. However, in many cases, the result in the bottle can be downright inspiring. We tasted a cross-section of the vintage on the occasion of the presentation of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux at this year's ProWein.
Comment

ProWein in Decline

Large Drop in Exhibitors and Visitors at the International Wine Fair in Düsseldorf
Image: Messe Düsseldorf
In its press release, Messe Düsseldorf celebrates ProWein 2025 (16–18 March) as a success. However, the facts speak a different language. Only 4200 exhibitors, 20 per cent fewer than last year, were spread across the eleven exhibition halls. The number of visitors also fell, by a good ten per cent to 42000 compared to 2024. While the trade fair continues to emphasise the outstanding importance of ProWein for the international wine industry, the exodus of German wine producers in particular has reached a new dimension. Only around 900 exhibitors came from Germany in 2025.

A selection of our previous posts

Tasting

“A New Chapter”

Christoph Eifel Continues the Family Tradition
Image: Christoph Eifel
The history of the Trittenheim family business can be traced back to 1635. The next generation took over in 2021. The Ernst Eifel winery became the Christoph Eifel winery. The question of what exactly has changed as a result of the generational change is not easy to answer. It would undoubtedly be a miracle if Christoph Eifel, who learnt the winemaking trade from Nik Weis in Leiwen and Thomas Haag in Lieser before studying viticulture in Geisenheim, did not introduce his own ideas and carefully develop the style of the wines. But this does not necessarily mean a break.
Facts

Pesticides or Climate Change?

Population of the Apollo Butterfly on the Lower Moselle Endangered
Image: Pixabay

In the biological nomenclature, the Apollo butterfly is listed under the name Paranassius apollo. In the Lower Moselle valley, the subspecies Paranassius apollo vinningensis lives mainly in the steep vineyards between the municipality of Winningen and neighbouring Kobern. For a long time, the Apollo butterfly symbolised the successful coexistence of ecology and viticulture. But now the butterfly species is seriously endangered. New pesticides that have been used in viticulture for the past ten years are said to be to blame. On closer inspection, however, the connections are much more complex.

Facts

We Like to Say No to Diam

Wine Merchant Finds Scientific Proof for the Lack of Sensory Neutrality of Diam Press Corks
Image: Pixabay
Rolf Cordes is a wine merchant from Mühldorf am Inn. In numerous tastings, he repeatedly observed the negative influence of the pressed corks of the southern French manufacturer Diam Bouchage on the taste of the wine. Since then, he has repeatedly questioned the sensory neutrality promised by the manufacturer.
Tasting

Foam from the Shore of Lake Garda

Four Remarkable Sparkling Wines from Northern Italy
Image: Pixabay
Lake Garda is the largest inland lake in Italy. While it is surrounded to the north, west and east by the foothills of the Alps, which reach up to 2000 metres, the southern shore already lies in the lowlands of the Po. Three wine-growing regions border the lake, and sparkling wine production has a long tradition in all of them. We present four sparkling wines for everyday domestic use. Three rosés and one single-varietal Chardonnay. From extra dry to extra brut.
Tasting

Germany's first “Climate Vintner”

Our Discovery in the Kraichgau: David Klenert
Image: Pixabay
David Klenert is Germany's first “climate vintner”. His winery in Kraichtal-Münzesheim, founded in 2015, is not only certified organic, the young winemaker even goes one step further. His approach to improving the quality of the soil and thus helping to reduce global CO2 consumption initially led him to a farmer friend. From there he adopted ideas from regenerative agriculture, with the aim of gradually increasing the natural humus content of his vineyard soils from the current 1.5 to up to four percent. Depending on the soil type, this corresponds to a binding of an additional 70 to 130 tonnes of CO2 per hectare.
Tasting

Between Vienne and Valence

White and Red Wines from the Northern Rhône
Image: Pixabay
Geologically and climatically, the northern part of the Côtes du Rhône differs significantly from the southern. Between Vienne in the north and Valence in the south, the river flows through a valley bordered by the foothills of the Massif Central in the west and the Alps in the east. On the sometimes very steep, often terraced slopes, Syrah is mainly grown as the only red wine variety permitted in the various appellations. The share of white wines has increased in recent years and is now almost 20 percent. The main grape variety here is Viognier. However, Marsanne Blanche and Roussanne are also gaining some importance.
Tasting

Der Klitzekleine Ring Hits the VDP

Steep Slope Rescue on Behalf of Riesling
Image: Deutsches Weininstitut
The Bernkasteler Ring, also known as the Kleiner Ring, was founded in 1899 as an association of winery owners from the Middle Moselle. Since 1901, it has organized wine auctions for its members. It is thus the oldest society in the region to hold wine auctions. Today, the Bernkasteler Ring also includes estates on the Saar and Ruwer rivers. A few years later, in 1908, the Großer Ring formed as a second large winegrowers' association, which first auctioned wines in 1910. The Großer Ring later gave rise to the regional Verband Deutscher Naturweinversteigerer, now the Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (VDP). A completely different approach is taken by Der klitzekleine Ring, founded in 2005. As the name suggests, the group, which currently comprises ten wineries, does not take itself too seriously.
Tasting

90 Percent Riesling

The Ruwer Trumps
Image: Deutsches Weininstitut
The vineyards in the Ruwer valley belong to the Moselle wine-growing region, which was still called Mosel-Saar-Ruwer until the law was changed in 2006. Riesling dominates the steep slopes. A proud 90 percent of the area is planted with the noble white wine grape. Nowhere else is the proportion of Riesling in the grape variety list higher. Although the filigree and subtle Rieslings from the Ruwer are very similar to those from the Moselle and Saar, they have their own distinctive character. As a result of a longer growing season and lower average temperatures compared to the Moselle Valley, the Ruwer Rieslings are much more acidic and have a pronounced green herbaceous aroma, especially in cooler years.