There’s passion in winemaking, and then there’s Markus Spindler, whose heart beats for Riesling. His family has been crafting Riesling in the Pfalz region of Germany for 400 years. He believes premium wines can only arise when a variety of small but crucial conditions occur, and he does everything in his power to make sure these events happen. His 2017 Trocken Riesling is brilliant, and at less than thirty bucks, the quality in the bottle is unmatched. 

 

Markus Spindler farms 20 hectares of vines with a strong focus on organic principles. The vines are grown in shell limestone, basalt, colored sandstone, where the vines’ deep roots draw up the diverse minerals and store them in the grapes. 

 

Pfalz offers a range of microclimates perfectly suited for ripening Riesling. Markus meticulously vinifies each plot individually in all of its variants. His greatest challenge is preserving the full range of natural aromatics, which he achieves through gentle handling, limiting the use of pumps, and utilizing gravity flow whenever possible.