Kühling-Gillot
The Kühling-Gillot winery is one of the outstanding addresses in German viticulture and cultivates over 25 hectares of vineyards on the famous sites of the Roter Hang and along the Rhine Terrace in Rheinhessen. The iconic vineyards between Bodenheim and Oppenheim are home to predominantly Riesling and a smaller proportion of Pinot Noir, which thrive in the prestigious VDP.ERSTEN and VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN vineyards.
Since 2006, oenologist and mother of two Carolin Spanier-Gillot and her husband Hans Oliver Spanier have been running the winery with great passion and a clear vision for authentic and sustainable viticulture. Working on the historic steep slopes of the Roter Hang, such as the famous Hipping with a gradient of over 60% or Pettenthal, the steepest vineyard in Rheinhessen with a gradient of over 70%, requires the utmost precision. Each vine is cultivated with a great deal of manual labour, patience and care - a real feat of strength, but one that is rewarded with wines of exceptional quality.
White wines from Kühling-Gillot
from Kühling-Gillot
For some time now, the vineyards have been consistently organic (certified) and now also biodynamic. The introduction of straw into the vineyards is just one of many measures to promote the vitality of the soil and the water supply to the vines. The soils of red slate and limestone marl, combined with the unique microclimate, form the basis for wines that express their origin and provenance in an unadulterated way.
The exclusively dry wines mature in a careful balance of large and small wooden barrels as well as in steel tanks. The ageing cellar, built deep into the mountain, offers ideal conditions for their slow and gentle development. Maturation is like a purification process: the fruit flavours of the grape recede, while the unmistakable nuances of the site, soil and stone become ever more apparent. This is how ‘the spirit of the place’ finally unfolds - the essence of the Rhine terrace and the slate soil on the Roter Hang. Every sip of a Kühling-Gillot wine is a tribute to the craftsmanship, closeness to nature and passion that go into these exceptional wines.
Producer
Standish / Dan Standish
The Standish Wine company was founded in 1999 by Dan Standish. He started at that time with a small, family-owned plot of almost hundred-year-old Shiraz vines in the heart of the Barossa Valley, in the sub-region of Vine Vale. He is part of the sixth generation of immigrants who settled here in 1848. In his career, Dan Standish gained experience not only in his home country, but also in California, Spain and France. He is passionate about the great wines of the Rhône Valley.
Dirk van der Niepoort
Dirk van der Niepoort - great ambassador of the fantastic wines from the Douro Valley, is also active and creative in other Portuguese wine regions. His dream has long been to make wines in the microclimates of the Alentejo and Dãoos. The talented self-made winemaker, who likes to wear a hat, found what he was looking for and his crazy idea in these crazy times took shape in the form of Crazy Hatter wines.
Château Biac
Sometimes life is full of surprises. The Lebanese Asseily family experienced this first-hand when they became the owners of Château Biac as if by accident in 2006. They regularly spent their summer holidays near Biac, but never would they have dreamt that they would own and manage this wonderful property themselves one day. It’s a fascinating story that Tony and Youmna Asseily are happy to share over a glass of their wine.