2022 Vintage
‘2022 was like 2020, but drier,’ said Andy Rings. ‘It was hard for us because it didn’t rain in Freinsheim until late September, by which time we had harvested most of our crop. Anything harvested after that we sold off in bulk, as we were not happy with the dilution.’ There was intense work in the vineyards throughout the growing season to mitigate drought – a low canopy and straw on the ground kept moisture levels up, and green harvesting ensured low yields so vines were not unduly stressed. There was no irrigation – ‘that’s just done to get yields up,’ he maintains ‘and the vines get lazy. We want them to send roots down deep.’ You may be picking up that this is not a man who compromises on quality, and he produced a set of fantastically pure, elegant set of wines with no residual sugar at all. They will be bottled over the summer after a long time on the lees.
2021 Vintage
Like everywhere else in Northern Europe in 2021, the crop is much smaller than
usual. Flowering was troubled, with much millerandage (poor fertilisation, resulting in small, seedless berries), and during June and July, cool wet conditions meant disease pressure and attacks by Suzuki fly. Thankfully, a fine autumn allowed the vines to catch up, yielding ripe grapes with good freshness and acidity.
The harvest was delayed as long as possible to ensure ripe tannins, and rigorous
grape selection the rule, once in the vineyard and twice at the winery.
Like his colleague Johannes Jülg, Andreas Rings destemmed completely, as he
judged the stems not ripe enough to add to the fermentation vats. The acquisition of a basket press allowed a more tender extraction, vital to preserve the
delicate fruit. As with so many 2021s across Northern Europe, these are pure, vibrant wines, long, smooth and terroir-driven.