A "French" wine from Germany.
About an hour northwest of Stuttgart is the village of Rosswag, which, according to our Importer, "is 'forgotten' — I can’t find any literature suggesting it was ever really registered on the wine map to begin with, which is startling if for no other reason than the in-your-face beauty and drama of the place."
Hannes Hoffmann (who was born in Rosswag where his family has a farm) met Greek-born Olympia Samara while she studied viticulture and winemaking in Germany. They started Roterfaden in 2014, with half a hectare of Lemberger from a parcel planted by Hannes’ grandfather.
Before they began, they traveled the world — Olympia worked in Burgenland, Napa, Naousa and Santorini. Hannes worked in Carnuntum, Mallorca, South Africa and Sonoma. All this globe trotting helped them realize that they had everything right in front of them, in the dramatic, terraced, old-vine vineyards of Rosswag.
There really isn’t any preconceived notion of what wine from Rosswag should be. This means Hannes and Olympia are free to work exactly as they want to work, which is organically; incorporating many tenants of biodynamics, making their own teas and extracts. Everything is done by hand. Certified Demeter since 2019.
