pinot meunier.  fresh, crunchy, glou-glou red with lovely fruitiness and zingy acidity.

Michael and Melanie on this wine’s story: “In 2014, we took over a vineyard from a colleague in Kitzingen. There is a neat cottage in the middle of it which just looked like a perfect home for bats. Together with local bat hero Christian Söder, we developed the idea of a cycle: we get guano from local bat colonies – a wonderful fertilizer. In the vineyard, we have several bat boxes installed to offer opportunities for those lovely animals to hang out. In return, we give a share of the revenue back to the bats via the Landesbund für Vogelschutz. The bat (Fledermaus in German) on the label is the grey long-eared bat which has become very rare in our area. It’s also incredibly cute and we want to help it stay around.”

Soil: Shell limestone. 30+ years old vineyard in Kitzingen. Organic.

Varieties: Schwarzriesling (Pinot Meunier)

Making of: Hand harvest. Semi-carbonic maceration (perfectly healthy bunches are covered with a layer of destemmed and crushed berries) for seven days, then press and malolactic fermentation and aging on the lees in stainless steel tanks until the following spring. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, zero sulfur added.