In wetter winegrowing regions such as Northeastern Italy and Burgundy, conventional wine producers often must beat back the threat of invasive fungi by spraying their vines seven to eight times each season. The Mosel region of Germany, many wine producers are in that same boat — but not all of them.
In a land known for its riesling, a new crop of wines are starting take shape, ushering forward interesting styles of cabernet blanc, hibernate, and souvigner gris. You read that correctly, resistant PIWI grape wines are emerging in a zone long dominated by classical riesling. Some 30 growers in the region have incorporated PIWIs into their rotations, and they just got together for a tasting event called “Vision Mosel,” organized in part by Daniel Molitor of Stairs n’ Roses.
I recently caught up with Molitor to learn about the tasting event and the future of PIWIs in Mosel.
So what’s the story behind Stairs n’ Roses? How did that name for your vineyard come together?
It comes from two vineyards, actually. My wife, Julia, and I are both from family wine estates, and when we met in 2015 we knew we wanted to have our own wine project where we did things slightly differently. Her family estate is Meulenhof in Erden. And mine is Viermorgenhof. We wanted something that complemented our own specific philosophies around wine. And then, you’ll notice from our labels, we’re slightly inspired by the rock band Guns n’ Roses.
We didn’t start with much of a business plan, just an idea to make three or four different wines. But now we have 12.
And what kinds of wines are you making?
It’s a mix. We have four PIWI wines and we have planted cabernet blanc, souvignier gris, and hibernal. The idea was not to have three different wines but to make a blend out of them.
What’s it been like working with your PIWI varieties in the vineyard?
PIWIs we treat one, two, or three times each year, which is a lot less than our regular varieties, for which we do integrated pest management. To those we apply copper and sulphur maybe eight times a year under our environmental conditions. For our PIWIs we reduce that number of applications to just two. That’s why, for me, PIWI cultivation is more sustainable. They offer a more sustainable approach, with less pesticides, and fewer negative side effects on organisms in the vineyard.
Also, the aroma spectrum is different than the traditional cultivars. It’s not a criticism, but if you think about riesling, it’s fine, but we have different aroma potential and a chance to attract new customers who maybe aren’t the biggest fans of riesling. Or, perhaps if there are consumers like me, they’ll be interested in tasting new wines.
You sounds really geeky-interested in the whole space.
Sometimes my wife complains — I can be quite enthusiastic. But to discover new aroma spectrum or potential, it makes me very motivated.
You recently started an initiative around PIWI wines call ‘Vision Mosel’ and it had its first big event March 17-18. What’s ‘Vision Mosel’ all about?
Yes! So ‘Vision Mosel‘ is group that has 30 members, some of whom have only just planted PIWIs. And on March 17-18 we’re having a tasting event at which 18 of our 30 members will be presenting their wines. It’s especially aimed at people who work in gastronomy, as well as resellers. In many cases, they are not so very well-informed about PIWIs. I might be convinced by the quality of the PIWI wines we’re making and the story of pesticide reduction, but they don’t have the knowledge yet. We want to invite those people to explain in theory and taste the new opportunities in the new wines. My impression is those people who make decisions in gastronomy might benefit.
So many great traditional wines come from the Mosel region of Germany. What is it like being a voice for PIWIs there? You’re sort of bucking tradition.
For me it’s an alternative. The Mosel has quite a traditional image. My feeling is there will be no competition among the PIWI wines and riesling. Traditional consumers love riesling and that’s not going to change. But my idea is we might reach people who are not yet familiar with Mosel, or we might offer some other opportunities for a menu where riesling isn’t a match on the dishes.
I’d love to discover a new wine style.
Does anyone in such a riesling-dominated region think you’re crazy for touting PIWI wines?
I don’t know. No one has told me this. But maybe it’s not so new anymore. We have 30 producers in a relatively small region. My feeling is that, in the future, a lot of new vineyards will be planted with PIWIS. Of course, riesling will stay number one, but there might be occasions where an alternative wine might be interesting. And if it’s more sustainable and the costs are lower it’s a win-win situation.
They are different but not better or worse, per se. They have a lot of advantages.
You have a line of wines yourself called ‘Projekt Next Generation’ that includes cabernet blanc and sauvignac. Tell me more about this. You started planting in 2016, right?
Yes, and Projekt Next Generation is a synonym for PIWI cultivars because it’s the next generation of wine. Most of the PIWIs are in one vineyard, but we also have a pet nat called ‘Over the Rainbow,’ and it’s sauvignon gris and hibernal. It’s my favorite at the moment. It’s kind of like a natural wine. No sulphur. I’m not the biggest fan of natural wine, but this one is perfectly fit for my taste.
We also have muscaris, which will be bottled next week the first vintage. Muscaris is very expressive, very aromatic. There’s lychee and mandarin aroma and some rose.
What are some interesting lessons you’ve learned along the way?
Every cultivar has some specific traits, but none of them so far have problematic traits that would have me remove them. For some producers, folks were not convinced by the wine quality or the resistance wasn’t high enough. I’ve learned that for sauvignac, it can be problematic if it’s windy in the spring — because the tissue between the branches and shoots can easily break. I would not plant it in a vineyard where it’s open to wind.
For muscaris, there are a lot of shoots on the trunk — so we have to do de-suckering three times because there are always new shoots coming. If you think about bigger vineyards it means extra work.
You mentioned you’re not the biggest fan of natural wines. What’s behind that?
Maybe it’s all a link to the personal taste. I like a lot of fruity wines, and for me with many natural wines I miss the fruitiness. My friends who produce natural wines hate me for this. My personal taste is to avoid the oxidation. The sulfites I don’t consider purely negative. Or the pet nat, where you don’t need the sulfite because you have protection of the wine by CO2. Our only natural wine is the pet nat.
What do you think the future has in store for PIWI grapes? What steps are next to introduce wine drinkers to them?
People just have to be made aware of those new cultivars. We are doing different wine festivals, and maybe five years ago only 5% of people knew about PIWIs. In my view today, around 50% are aware that these new cultivars exist. Then it’s a question of personal taste — if they like it or don’t like it.
Wow. I’m surprised you’d guess 50% are familiar with PIWIs?
It’s a feeling I have. We are in a wine growing region and most of our events are in this region.
And you think there is interest in exploring them further?
My feeling is 95% of people, if you tell them we have to spray less and it’s good for the environment, people agree. People are interested. That said, if you put it in supermarket and just list it as cabernet blanc they might just choose a riesling, but if you find a way to tell them a story about it, I think they’ll be interested.
Where can people find your wines?
They are sold in different countries across Europe. You can find our wines in Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany, of course. We are talking about production of 15,000 per year. It’s not huge. If you’re in Europe, you can also buy from our online wine shop.
Any final thoughts?
What’s so interesting to me about PIWIs is we have the potential to exercise some climate change mitigation. One of the effects of climate change are extreme weather events. In 2021, the whole summer was rainy, and people with traditional cultivars were really fighting with downy mildew. That same year we treated three times and didn’t lose anything. That’s worth talking about. 🍇
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.