Cool Climate Wine Summit

We meet Michi Weber of Weber Brüder in the Saar valley, in the middle of a rainy harvest. Together with his brother Stefan he started in 2013 with a quarter hectare of their grandfather's old vines; today they farm four hectares alongside their day jobs. We talk about bursting grapes after weeks of rain, spontaneous fermentation and low-intervention Riesling, why climate change is bringing the Saar's famous acidity into balance, how two brothers with five children manage a winery on the side, and their first wine, Phoenix.Interview in English.📍 Saar, Mosel, GermanyIn the glass1. Riesling Sekt Brut 2021: their first sparkling wine, two years on the lees in tank and 15 months of bottle fermentation, 9 g/l of sugar2. Ober-Emmeler Altenberg Riesling Spätlese 2020: 60 g/l residual sugar, five years of age, notes of dried fruitChapters00:00 Back on the Saar, in the middle of harvest00:30 Rain, bursting grapes and a rushed harvest01:08 If not a winemaker: the social sector02:15 Geisenheim, Portugal, Australia, Montpellier and the US03:45 His personality as a bottle of wine04:18 Nature and terroir on the Mosel05:48 Weber Brüder: from a quarter hectare in 2013 to four hectares07:08 Tasting: Riesling Sekt Brut 202109:07 Saar acidity and climate change10:07 Covid, frost, rain, drought: the work in the vineyard11:32 Two brothers, five kids, two day jobs12:50 Phoenix: the first wine13:48 Momentum and the low-intervention scene16:04 Tasting: Ober-Emmeler Altenberg Spätlese 202017:39 Sweet or dry: the market and young drinkers18:28 See you in Copenhagen📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/qiKij-0BOhE🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=weber-brueder&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

We visit Paul de Watteville of Domaine de Montbenay in Mont-sur-Rolle, in the vineyards above Lake Geneva. The estate has been in his family since 1543; Paul runs its eight hectares with his father Maurice. We talk about why Chasselas, born at Lake Geneva, is "the sponge of the terroir", a 25-year-old Chasselas, a fortified Chasselas inspired by port, his sélection massale Pinot Noir with 500 types of Pinot, an export project to China, and how hail and drought change the work in the vineyard.Interview in English.📍 Mont-sur-Rolle, Vaud, SwitzerlandIn the glass1. Chasselas 1999: from the year Paul was born; honey, dried hay, ginger and a precise acidity2. Pinot Noir Les Trésières 2023: sélection massale with 500 types of Pinot Noir, ten days whole bunch, 12 months in French oakChapters00:00 Welcome to Mont-sur-Rolle, above Lake Geneva00:43 If not a winemaker: a cheese farm in the mountains01:36 In the family since 154302:18 Inspiration: Raymond Paccot, Domaine La Colombe03:41 His personality as a bottle of wine: Pinot Noir04:48 Nature and organic viticulture05:52 Domaine de Montbenay: eight hectares, nine varieties, 85% Chasselas08:12 Tasting: Chasselas 199909:21 Chasselas was born at Lake Geneva: "the sponge of the terroir"12:43 Gruyère with old Chasselas13:02 Between Geneva and Lausanne: a scene of young winemakers14:38 Swiss wine abroad: Chasselas in China16:03 Chasselas muté: a "port" made from Chasselas17:30 Pinot Noir: Neuchâtel, Burgundy and ageing potential19:37 Tasting: Pinot Noir Les Trésières 2023, sélection massale22:40 Climate change: sélection massale, hail and drought26:22 Rootstocks for deeper roots26:57 Outlook: the next five years27:42 See you in Copenhagen📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/cLmjjDqhrD0🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=montbenay&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

We visit Oliver Schell of Weingut O. Schell in Rech on the Ahr, the fourth generation of an estate founded in 1921, with 70 % of its eight hectares on steep terraces. He explains why this narrow valley makes great red wine and how the flood changed his winemaking. We taste his first PIWI, a Sauvignon Gris called "I can't believe it's a PIWI", and his Spätburgunder from the Recher Herrenberg, and talk about north-facing sites and the new problem of too little acidity.Interview in English.📍 Rech, Ahr, GermanyIn the glass1. „I can't believe it's a PIWI“ 2023: Sauvignon Gris from the Dernauer Burggarten (steep slate); Auslese ripeness, fermented dry, 15 % alcohol, five hours on the skins, second-use barrel; 497 bottles; label by his wife, an homage to Roy Lichtenstein2. Spätburgunder Recher Herrenberg 2022: 18 months in barrique, 50 % new oak after the flood, 13.5 %; light colour, cherry, raspberry, wild strawberry, red flowers and spiceChapters0:00 Welcome to the Ahr and Weingut O. Schell0:52 If not a winemaker: a chef1:21 His influence: his grandfather2:28 His personality as a wine: a bolder Pinot Noir3:43 Nature: the one thing we can't control4:32 Weingut O. Schell: since 1921, 70 % steep5:47 Why the narrow Ahr valley makes red wine6:44 "Come and see it yourself"7:34 Tasting: „I can't believe it's a PIWI“ 20238:58 15 % alcohol you don't taste9:23 Flint, quince and an autumn touch11:10 The label: pop art and Roy Lichtenstein12:56 Planting Sauvignon Gris: "a very good mistake"13:46 After the flood: new ways to sell wine14:46 Easy wines are like learning a language16:10 A warmer Ahr: shaded sites and new grapes18:24 What the flood taught him: let things roll19:46 Tasting: Spätburgunder Recher Herrenberg 202221:37 50 % new oak after the flood22:24 Cherry, wild strawberry and spice23:20 The new problem: too little acidity24:24 Harvest under pressure on steep slopes25:02 Burgundy, Chablis and the Ahr style26:20 Five years from now27:15 See you in Copenhagen📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/pZmaiHTK0Z4🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=schell&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

We visit Karin Hvidtfeldt and winemaker Lou Langdon of Hideaway Vingaard on Fejø, a small island off Lolland in southern Denmark. They explain how the sea gives Fejø about 200 more hours of sunshine than the Danish average, how the estate began with Karin's late husband Michael Gundersen in 2006, and what they learned from Jens Heinemeyer. We talk about free-range geese, organic rules that were not written for wine, spring droughts and 200 millimetres of rain in one day, and why Danish wine belongs on every restaurant wine list.Interview in English.📍 Fejø, Lolland, DenmarkIn the glass1. Vingesus 2023: Souvignier Gris and Solaris, fermented spontaneously and aged in oak2. Gåsefod 2024: 100 % Solaris in a Riesling style, with 17 g/l of residual sugar3. Sommergås 2024: Rondo, Bolero, Cabernet Cortis and Rehberger, made by carbonic macerationChapters0:00 Welcome to Fejø: by ferry and over the deer fence1:06 Lou: from England to Fejø, a hidden gem3:10 Why "Hideaway"? A Beatles song4:00 1.3 hectares, holiday cabins and 70 fig varieties5:18 Biodiversity garden and exotic trees6:33 The Fejø microclimate: the sea all around9:55 An extra month of sunshine10:07 Where we are: Lolland, Copenhagen and Hamburg10:42 2006: Michael Gundersen and the beginnings14:34 A new start with Lou and Jens Heinemeyer16:43 Wine with Soil Connection17:29 Tasting: Vingesus 2023, Souvignier Gris and Solaris22:04 New grapes and oak: two shifts in Danish winemaking27:00 The freedom to experiment, and its downside28:19 "Can you grow wine in Denmark?"29:27 A Danish bottle in Zielona Góra, and Jens Heinemeyer30:47 Only take advice from someone whose wine you love34:26 Is the Pfalz still cool climate?36:02 Tasting: Gåsefod 2024, the geese and Molly the vineyard dog38:09 A Riesling style from Solaris41:04 17 grams of sugar, 7 of acidity43:22 "Kissed by the oak": why so few Danish wines with residual sugar?46:02 Climate change on Fejø: the frost is back49:26 Spring droughts, cloudbursts and groundwater52:38 Mildew on a warm, dry island53:53 Organic rules not written for wine: the copper ban58:18 Bureaucracy, and on to the red wine59:10 Tasting: Sommergås 2024, a Nordic red1:01:09 "Verdammt, du hast wieder recht": how the red was born1:02:28 94 points from Jamie Goode1:04:30 Rondo, PIWI reds and old vintages1:06:20 Warsaw and export1:07:25 Five years ahead: Danish wine on every wine list1:09:25 Pride, Janteloven and bragging1:10:39 See you at the Cool Climate Wine Summit📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/HGpMEPKXe5k🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=hideaway&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

We visit Lara Mindnich of Weingut Mindnich, a family estate of about eight hectares on the Nahe. Standing in a young vineyard full of poppies and bees, she talks about learning winemaking from her father, her role models Juliane Eller and Pauline Baumberger, and why a region with more than 180 soil types has no single Riesling style. She explains green slate, how her father simply said "just do it", sustainability on the label, PIWIs and Vitiforst, and what her generation can do against climate change.Interview in English.📍 Nahe, GermanyIn the glass1. Riesling vom Grünen Schiefer: Gutswein from green slate: fruity, juicy, soft and elegant, with a lively acidity2. Johannisberg Riesling 2024: Single vineyard on steep terraces, harvested by hand; more structure and concentrationChapters0:00 Welcome to the Nahe and Weingut Mindnich0:26 If not a winemaker: something creative and social0:55 Role models: her father, Juliane Eller and Pauline Baumberger2:04 Her personality as a wine: Riesling from green slate3:16 A young vineyard full of flowers and bees4:19 Happy about the rain4:51 Weingut Mindnich: 8 hectares, three generations5:40 The Nahe: small, unknown and creative7:07 Tasting: Riesling vom Grünen Schiefer8:55 What is green slate?9:41 180 soil types: is there a Nahe signature?11:10 Between Rheinhessen and the Rheingau11:51 Studying wine business in Geisenheim12:29 "Just do it": the generation change13:50 Structural change: scared or hopeful?15:45 Telling sustainability on the label17:00 Niepoort and the idea of eight points17:55 Tasting: Johannisberg Riesling 202419:32 Holding vintages back20:39 Fresh and green: the Nahe style21:41 Climate change and new grape varieties23:59 PIWIs and Vitiforst25:23 Staying positive25:54 Five years from now: even more for nature📺 Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@coolclimatesummit🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mindnich&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

Zu Besuch in Remerschen, in der Gemeinde Schengen, am Dreiländereck von Luxemburg, Deutschland und Frankreich: Marie Kox führt die Domaine Sunnen-Hoffmann in sechster Generation, zusammen mit ihrer Mutter. Es geht darum, warum in Luxemburg „Crémant immer geht“, um einen Brut Nature ohne Dosage und ohne Schwefel, um den unterschätzten Auxerrois aus der ersten Bio-Lage des Weinguts, um eine Crémant-Lese, die schon im August beginnt, und um PIWI-Sorten wie den Pinotin.Interview auf Deutsch. Aufgenommen am 22. Mai 2025.📍 Remerschen, Schengen, LuxemburgIm Glas1. Crémant de Luxembourg Brut Nature 2022: 50 % Chardonnay und 50 % Pinot Blanc, ohne Dosage und Schwefel, zweieinhalb Jahre auf der Hefe2. Auxerrois 2022 aus der Lage Schengen-Fels: 50 Jahre alte Reben, die erste Lage, die das Weingut auf Bio umgestellt hatKapitel0:00 Begrüßung: Domaine oder Cave?0:49 Wenn nicht Winzerin: Ernährungsberaterin2:30 Prägende Erfahrung: Praktikum in Châteauneuf-du-Pape3:19 Die Persönlichkeit als Flasche Wein: Pinot Noir4:21 Zurück nach Luxemburg und unterschätzte Weinregionen5:33 Natur und ökologischer Weinbau6:21 Die Domaine Sunnen-Hoffmann: sechste Generation seit 18726:51 Schengen und das Dreiländereck7:44 Crémant de Luxembourg: „Crémant geht immer“9:10 Verkostung: Crémant Brut Nature 202212:26 Frühe Lese und unberechenbare Jahrgänge14:28 Luxemburg als Weinbauregion: Mosel, Römer, Elbling16:30 Rotwein im Kommen und die Geschichte des Crémant17:32 Zweiter Wein: Auxerrois aus der Lage Schengen-Fels19:39 Klimawandel: Lesezeitpunkt und Säure21:32 Verkostung: Auxerrois 2022 und Food Pairing23:23 Export: Luxemburg nach außen zeigen24:39 PIWIs: Cabernet Blanc und Pinotin27:03 Ausblick: die nächsten fünf Jahre27:45 Einladung nach Luxemburg und Kopenhagen📺 Zum Video: {{VIDEO_LINK}}🎟 Jetzt für den nächsten Cool Climate Wine Summit anmelden: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sunnen-hoffmann&utm_content=de🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

We visit winemaker Michał Poddany of Winnica Rosenfeld in Podbiel, Mazovia, south-east of Warsaw. Of the 600 vines he planted in 2009, 12 survived two winters. He replanted, made seven vintages only to learn, and sold his first wine in 2023. He talks about his mentor at Marchesi Alfieri in Piedmont, the −18 °C limit for vinifera, the 2024 spring frost, why Pinot Noir is the easy grape in Poland, and why he wants to stay small.Interview in English.📍 Podbiel, Mazovia, PolandIn the glass1. Brut Premiere: 65 % Riesling and 35 % Pinot Noir, partly aged in oak and acacia barrels from Seguin Moreau, 22 months on the lees2. Riesling 2023: from the Una parcel, the first one planted; 1,700 bottlesChapters0:00 Sunshine in Poland after a month of rain1:00 If not a winemaker: underwater welder1:51 Inspiration: Marchesi Alfieri in Piedmont3:14 His personality as a wine: Nerello Mascalese from Etna4:43 Nature: a bandage on the wound6:13 Winnica Rosenfeld: 600 vines planted, 12 survived8:05 Mazovia: harsh winters, wind and −18 °C9:03 Seven vintages only for himself11:09 Emerging wine countries and teething troubles12:45 Tasting: Brut Premiere14:01 Still wine tells the truth about the vineyard15:04 Champagne yeast, no turbo yeasts17:03 Why Pinot Noir is the easy grape in Poland17:48 Red Pinot Noir from Poland?19:19 Three labels for a lifetime21:07 22 months on the lees and tiny bubbles24:25 20 vintages to understand your vineyard26:17 Tasting: Riesling, the hardest grape in Poland26:37 Winter frost, spring frost and 202428:38 Every seventh vintage without a harvest29:55 No bad vintages, only small ones31:03 2.5 hectares and very low yields32:10 Riesling 2023 from the Una parcel33:41 Low pH, high acidity and a lot of patience34:55 A basket press and a pump gentler than gravity37:39 Lessons for Polish winemaking38:04 Five years from now: staying small📺 Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/@coolclimatesummit🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=rosenfeld&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

Im Weinberg in Nittel an der Obermosel mit Max Frieden vom Weingut Frieden-Berg, mitten in der Lese 2026 und nach drei Tagen Starkregen, Luxemburg direkt am anderen Moselufer. Max erzählt vom Elbling, der alten heimischen Rebsorte, die noch 40 % der 14 Hektar ausmacht, von Crémant in traditioneller Flaschengärung, von seiner Liebe zu Chardonnay und Auxerrois, von der Zertifizierung durch Fair'n Green und davon, warum die Obermosel mehr mit Luxemburg und Frankreich gemeinsam hat als mit den Schieferhängen der Mosel.Interview auf Deutsch.📍 Nittel, Obermosel, DeutschlandIm Glas1. Elbling Crémant 2022: 100 % Elbling, traditionelle Flaschengärung, 12 Monate Hefelager, 12 % Alkohol2. Chardonnay Ortswein 2023: Muschelkalk mit leichten Tonanteilen, ein kühler Jahrgang, 13 % AlkoholKapitel00:00 Begrüßung im Weinberg nach drei Tagen Regen01:11 Wenn nicht Winzer: Rettungshubschrauber-Pilot03:04 Prägende Menschen: Georg Rumpf vom Weingut Kruger-Rumpf, Nahe04:24 Seine Persönlichkeit als Flasche Wein: Chardonnay05:34 Natur: Gleichgewicht, Begrünung und Regen07:43 Frieden-Berg: 14 Hektar und 40 % Elbling10:01 Verkostung: Elbling Crémant 202211:51 Gehört die Obermosel wirklich zur Mosel?13:15 Familienweingut mit Weinbar14:37 Vertrieb und Export: von Finnland bis Indonesien16:37 Nachhaltigkeit: Fair'n Green18:53 Verkostung: Chardonnay Ortswein 202322:16 In fünf Jahren: kleiner und besser📺 Zum Video: https://youtu.be/moqWVVsDvKE🎟 Jetzt für den nächsten Cool Climate Wine Summit anmelden: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=frieden-berg&utm_content=de🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

Live from VieVinum 2026 in Vienna with Raphael of Weingut Kodolitsch in southern Styria, an exhibitor at CCWS Copenhagen 2026. Styria is Austria's southernmost wine region and, because it lies close to the Alps, also its coolest. We talk about single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, why a quarter of the estate is Riesling, Welschriesling as "the Styrian answer to Aligoté", 20 hectares of steep slopes farmed by hand, and why winemakers are farmers first.Interview in English.📍 Tillmitsch near Leibnitz, Südsteiermark, AustriaIn the glass: Sauvignon Blanc Ried Rosengarten- 100% clay soil, one night on the skins- 24 months on the full lees in 500-litre barrels, with malolactic fermentation- 13.5% alcoholChapters00:00 Welcome at VieVinum00:13 Looking back at Copenhagen 202600:54 Styria: the coolest region in the south01:54 Riesling and Welschriesling in Styria03:01 Tasting the Sauvignon Blanc Ried Rosengarten04:46 If not a winemaker: volunteer firefighter05:40 Influences: Johann Donabaum07:05 His personality as a bottle of wine08:09 20 hectares of steep slopes and sustainability09:09 Certification, economics and farming11:04 Rain, water and climate11:22 Export: the North, Kazakhstan and India📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/AyaGYJvoH5k🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=kodolitsch&utm_content=en🌍 coolclimatesummit.com

Live von der VieVinum in Wien: Leo Aumann vom Weingut Leo Aumann aus der österreichischen Thermenregion. Das Interview entstand spontan nach einem Treffen auf der Magnum-Party. Es geht um den Satz „Pinot ist Pinot, kein Rotwein“, um ein Weingut in fünfter Generation, um Weingärten, in denen der Weinbau seit der Ankunft der Zisterzienser aus dem Burgund im Jahr 1141 nachgewiesen ist, um Handarbeit in steilen Lagen, die Lese in der Nacht und darum, warum heute nicht mehr die Reife, sondern der Zucker die Herausforderung ist.Interview auf Deutsch.Im Glas: Leo Aumann Pinot Noir- Elegant und fruchtig- Ausgebaut im 500-Liter-Holzfass- 13,5 % AlkoholÜber das Weingut- Familienbetrieb zwischen Gumpoldskirchen und Baden, rund 50 Hektar- Pinot Noir und St. Laurent; Rotgipfler, Zierfandler und Chardonnay- Steile Lagen und Terrassen, Handlese als StandardKapitel0:00 Einleitung0:25 Pinot Noir in Österreich: „Pinot ist Pinot, kein Rotwein“1:21 Das Weingut: fünf Generationen Leo Aumann1:40 Thermenregion und die Zisterzienser seit 11412:28 Verkostung Pinot Noir2:59 Wenn nicht Winzer: Landwirtschaft und die Praxis bei Markowitsch4:49 Prägende Einflüsse und das Profil der Thermenregion5:32 Die Persönlichkeit als Flasche Wein6:43 Rebsorten und Vielfalt auf rund 50 Hektar7:16 Arbeitsweise: steile Lagen, Handarbeit, Lese in der Nacht8:03 Reife statt Anreicherung: die neue Herausforderung Zucker8:36 Extremwetter und die geringen Erträge der Thermenregion9:22 Export und Eindrücke aus Kopenhagen10:11 Ausblick: CCWS Warschau und Kopenhagen im Januar 2027📺 Zum Video: https://youtu.be/QeP9FJgEIlc🎟 Jetzt für den nächsten Cool Climate Wine Summit anmelden: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=leo-aumann&utm_content=de🌍 coolclimatesummit.com