Neiss to meet you: WSET students visiting

There are probably as many wine seminars and training courses as there are grape varieties worldwide. But one of the most renowned is certainly the training offered by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). In various levels that build on each other, both beginners and wine professionals acquire profound expertise.

We were therefore delighted to welcome a group of WSET students to our winery a few days ago to introduce them to our wines and our natural way of working and to discuss exciting and future-relevant topics together with the next generation of wine.

Our sales manager Sebastian Wandt and the 17-person group initially visited our vineyards to illustrate our very sustainable and quality-oriented philosophy on the vines.

The expert participants immediately noticed differences between our vineyards and the surrounding vineyards. Shortly before the visit, for example, we had divided the grapes, which leads to healthier and concentrated grapes and also reduces the risk of rotting when berries grow too tight. We also noticed our lively soils, which are typical of us and other Fair 'n Green certified companies. The greening in the rows is chosen in such a way that flowering plants are available to insects over the longest possible period of time. The flower mix consists mainly of mallow, esparsette, incarnate clover, yellow clover, white clover, phacelia, vetch and winter rye. To improve nesting opportunities for insects, we have set up insect hotels at numerous vineyards, which were currently very busy. The special features of our terroir were also beautifully shown at the Kindenheimer Vogelsang location. The well-ventilated altitude with cooling winds combined with the lime-rich soil offers the ideal conditions for the cultivation of Pinot Noir, which, as is typical of the variety, places high demands on climate and soil.

Back at the farm, we tasted three of our Rieslings, which recognisably brought our calcareous soils and the cooler climate of the North Palatinate into the glass. A total of 20 percent of our area is planted with this grape variety. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir also showed their grape varietal speciality in the Palatinate and, of course, especially here in the North Palatinate. In a personal exchange, people could talk about business and philosophize on the side.

Thanks to Jennifer Henne-Bartz and Susanne Wolf from Meetwine, who organized this excursion for the students of the Koblenz Sommelier School.

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