Mosel, Germany
The term "historical" gets thrown around a lot in the wine world, with families staking claims to generational winemaking sometimes spanning hundreds of years. And while the Klein family have been continuously operating here since 1805, this winery has been in operation since 862AD. Yeah, we felt compelled to add AD to emphasize how absurdly historical this property is. That makes Staffelter Hof not only one of the oldest wineries in history but also one of the oldest companies in continuous operation.
As you can imagine, a winery spanning more than a millenia, has seen some changes throughout its history. Fast forward to 2014, when Jan Klein received organic certification after upending all existing vineyard practices, and you can see a snapshot of the modern wine world. Despite the steep slopes that used to require pesticide-spraying helicopters, all work is now done by hand with maximum effort dedicated to sustainability and vineyard health.
While the winery still makes classically-styled Mosel wines, although with a low-intervention minded approach, Jan has successfully created a series of labels that explore and experiment with traditional varietals and one-off curiosities. A PetNat made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Madeleine - and a fun nod to Nirvana's "Molly's Lips" - this is the kind of sparkling wine that we'd gladly present as Exhibit A in the case for PetNat's return to prominence. Wild & tangy, creamy & refreshing, strawberry, redcurrant & bit of plum, beautiful grapefruit cutting through and a hint of spice on the finish. Somehow super fun and super serious at the same time. If we had to use just one word to describe this wine, it would be joy.