Thörle 

Don’t underestimate the Rheinhessen. The region that is famous for being the birthplace of the cloying Liebfraumilch is also a budding region for many young and innovative winemakers who are doing some pretty interesting things in the way of wine. On a visit to Rheinhessen in 2013 I tasted a lot of wine, then I visited Thörle and found something completely different, where authenticity is a mantra.

Weingut Thörle is a family owned winery in Saulheim run by two brothers Johannes and Christoph who took the operation over from their parents, Rudolf and Uta. Together, the family owns 19 hectares in the Hölle, Schlossberg and Probstey vineyards in the Saulheim wine region.

I was greeted by Uta Muck-Thörle and ushered into a cozy tasting room. After chatting with Ute about the winery, it became immediately clear how much care goes into the wine. The soil in the region has lots of limestone and tons of fossils which are often found with regularity in the vineyards. Uta showed me several large shells that had been found in the vineyard, one of which was found just the one week before my visit. As I tasted through the white wines the mineral characteristics of the soil were completely noticeable, with ripe fruit and just the right amount of acidity. It really makes you smile.

Like the white wines, the reds are also a complete joy. I know a lot of people dismiss German red wine, but the red wine produced here is something that really made me take notice. These aren't the usual thin bodied fruit bombs or the overly oaked German reds that have always been on the radar. No, these wines were produced with care, respect, and expertise…. And you can taste it.

At Thörle they believe that good winemaking takes place in the vineyard, not the basement. In the vineyard almost all mechanical processes have been eliminated and grapes are selected by hand. This has an enormous impact on the quality of the wine. In the cellar Johannes follows the rule of “controlled idleness”, or letting the wine develop slowly and carefully without a lot of manipulation. The grapes have a long maceration time. Afterwards the juice is left to ferment with wild yeasts found in the vineyard. It is left in contact with its lees for an extended period of time. Together, all of these winemaking processes yield beautiful wines that taste like the delicate minerality of the land from northern Rheinhessen.