Stefan Vetter Quitte Methode Rurale

Stefan Vetter is punk rock. He has done nothing that has even the slightest commercial logic to it. His old friend Andreas Adam (of the celebrated Mosel estate A.J. Adam) must shake his head, watching Stefan, like a wild hermit, run himself up into the terraced vineyards of Franconia. Yet from a scant few hectares of old terraced vineyards, Stefan is redefining what Sylvaner can be. These are quite simply the greatest Sylvaners I’ve ever tasted, from anywhere, ever. Stefan is at the forefront of the natural wine movement in Germany. As such, he farms both organically and biodynamically, working only old vines in steep, terraced sites. Pressing is done gently and can take four to six hours. The juice may see a short bit of skin contact, but for the most part it is just moved directly into old barrels. Stefan has bought 300 and 600-liter barrels from Stockinger. During the elevage, the wine is topped off but that’s about it. The wines are bottled without fining or filtering.

A dry cider made with Quince fruit, which is an apple-like pome fruit of the rose family. Vetter has quince trees  spread around among the vines in his Garnbacher Kalbenstein vineyard growing among the grape vines. Made sparkling in the rustic methode ancestrale style (methode rurale is a synonym for this process). Vetter grows all his fruit biodynamically and works naturally in the cellar for his ciders and wines. No filtering or fining, wild ferments, and no sulphites
'Dry Quince cider produced from a handful of trees that grow in the GK (Kalbenstein) vineyard. Lightly sparkling, only 6% abv.
Stefan is at the forefront of the natural wine movement in Germany. As such, he farms both organically and biodynamically, as would be expected. As he works only old vines, only in steep, terraced sites and everything is done by hand.' - Vom Boden