(by Manfred Klimek / Photo: Medienagenten / Location: Freundschaft Berlin / Animation: Runwayml)
Lake Constance has long been the quiet periphery of German viticulture – virtually unknown, much like many regions in the east of the country still are today. Not a place for grand narratives, then, but nor a breeding ground for vanity; rather, a transit zone between Württemberg, Bavaria and the south-western Alpine foothills. That is precisely why what is happening there right now is so remarkable. Twelve winemakers have begun to break free from this administrative comfort zone. Not with grandstanding or marketing spiel, but through hard work on their own refreshing style. And it is precisely in this style that the Lake Constance winemakers’ greatest asset lies, for their wines – lighter, less forceful, and decidedly more approachable – are exactly what young wine drinkers want from wine today: reliable ease of drinking and enjoyment, without being burdened by masculine alcohol-percentage posturing (the more alcohol, the better) or heavy, viscous textures (“awesome, heavy wine”). The Lake Constance winemakers produce precisely that ‘missing link’ that other regions lack, because they also have a different terroir climate.
Lake Constance is not an explicit ‘terroir’ location. The soils are heavy, often rich, the water is close by, and yields must be kept in check. At the same time, the proximity to the Alps acts as a natural brake: cool nights, long growing seasons, and a framework of aromas that does not inflate itself. Anyone who focuses on maximum aromatic intensity here will lose out. Those who pare back will succeed. This is precisely the common thread running through this group of winegrowers: toning down clunky aromatics, curbing ripeness, and bringing out the character of the vineyard sites. Not doing everything that is possible – but only what pays off.
What stands out is their matter-of-fact approach to PIWIs – fungus-resistant grape varieties that are still treated elsewhere as a moral duty and regarded as unconventional. Here, they are a tool. Johanniter, Solaris, Souvignier Gris – not as substitutes, but as a language in their own right. PIWIs on Lake Constance are not a compromise, but a refinement.
The two sparkling wines send a clear signal right from the start. Teresa Deufel’s ‘Sprudeldicke Drin’ 2020, made from Johanniter, offers a nose that astonishes: hazelnut, greengage, gooseberry, pineapple, along with a hint of something sombre reminiscent of great old champagnes. The palate remains lighter than the nose suggests – a slight discrepancy, but not a flaw. Haug’s Lindau sparkling wine comes across as more baroque, driven by apple and pear notes, rougher, less polished. Two styles that demonstrate: here, they are not copying, but experimenting.
With the still wines, the real work begins. The Müller-Thurgau Drumlin 2024 from Schmidt on Lake Constance is cool, taut, mineral, almost stubborn. No pandering, no floral embrace. Rather, a study in tension. Hendriks’ 2023 Sauvignon Blanc smells of limestone, of night, of the entrance to a Berlin club. Anyone looking for New Zealand here is completely mistaken. Anyone seeking structure will find it in both of these.
Lanz Wein demonstrates just how seriously PIWIs can be taken. The Bodolz 2023 cuvée (Johanniter, Souvignier Gris) is nutty, with a hint of pale yellow plastic in the sun, followed by quince, apricot and peach – fleshy, yet controlled. The 2023 Entenberg cuvée uses oak without making it obtrusive: slender, transparent, plenty of gooseberry, no drama. This is a PIWI on a par with classic grape varieties.
Chardonnay plays a surprisingly prominent role. Kurek’s Nonnenholz 2023 is taut, elegant, reminiscent of great European wines of the 1990s (Gaja’s Rossi Bass, Gantenbein), without becoming nostalgic. The two Chardonnays from Seehaldenhof – Seehalde 2021 and Sonnenbichl 2022 – showcase two sides of the same cool character: one stony and tannic, the other rounder, with notes of popcorn, pear and quince. No tropical fruit spectacle, no oily film.
Finally, the Pinot Noirs are perhaps the most astonishing part of this movement. Hendrik’s Seehalde 2022 is cool, fruity, with a delicate lactic quality, possessing a Campari-like bitter elegance and a distinct German character. Kurek takes a more earthy approach: sour cherry, mushroom, damp forest floor. Haug remains deliberately gnarled, Gierer aromatically precise, slender on the palate. None of these interpretations is intended to please everyone – and that is precisely their strength.
What is emerging here is not a new ‘German wonder region’. It is something more unsettling: a region that accepts it does not need to make a fuss to be relevant. Lake Constance is redefining itself – not through grape varieties, not through rankings, but through reduction, coolness and the courage to, for once, not push the aromatics to the limit. This is no revolution. But it is a clean break. Made without fanfare for young wine drinkers who want to reconnect with wine as a cultural heritage.
(More on the region and the individual winemakers this spring in *WELT am SONNTAG*)