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.
Müller Time, Sanderstruck - featuring Bernie Sanders on guitar on the label. A 100% Müller-Thurgau, a quarter of which is in skin maceration and the rest in direct pressing. Notes of peach, apple and chamomile give way to a refreshing finish enhanced with subtle structuring bitters. The slate and schist soils bring a dazzling minerality which only prolongs the pleasure throughout the evening.