Welcome to Weingut Melsheimer, now in its fifth generation of family operation! Our estate building and cellar are located in the heart of the small village of Reil, in the Middle Mosel winegrowing region. Our vineyards all lie within 2 km of the estate. The majority of our sites are in the 'Mullay-Hofberg.' a lovely stretch of vineyard south of town and directly on the 50th parallel. I've been managing the estate since 1995, the same era during which we began converting to organic winegrowing — from a professional standpoint, probably the most important step in my life. Today I am proud to say that we are sustaining a form of agriculture that in the late 19th century was a given on the Mosel: very steep vineyards and preserving the value of the landscape and agricultural space for the next generation. In Mullay-Hofberg, over half the vineyard can only be reached by foot and worked by hand. The rest can be worked using a small caterpillar tractor adapted for steep vineyard use, such as to mow the cover crops and implement biodynamic plant protections. But only within the boundaries of the sensible and feasible, since erosion is a perpetual concern here on the Mosel. Much of our work requires the gentlest approach possible, namely by hand. My family and I have the privilege of living in this amazing place. Few people outside Germany are aware of just how picturesque the Mosel Valley truly is. During winter in particular the valley is a place of repose, with plentiful natural wildness on its steep flanks and small side valleys and endless flights of imagination along its fantastical brooks. It exists outside of the major population centers and infrastructure that have become standard for most central European countries. Most of the population live directly or indirectly from winemaking and tourism. Sustainable winegrowing thus holds great future potential. But it is naturally also a tremendous challenge to create a product of such cultural and gourmet importance by hand here in the heart of Germany. And we are unlikely to ever achieve the level of salaries found in the surrounding cities. We need a corps of dedicated idealists and people, usually from our eastern neighboring countries, willing to put in the hard work required to help us year after year. Our interactions today are quite different than 30 years ago. In particular, I enjoy the community that comes together during harvest, comprised of people from all around the world working as a single team from early to late, living and laboring in harmony. A truly special and inspiring experience! For over 30 years, Malgorzata and Mieczyslaw Trzpis have been the heart and soul of our team. Both live with us at the estate. My wife Stefanie and I are also joined by Hannah Hees and trainee Nasrat Rahimi throughout the year. Szilard Nagy, Elod Biró and Ervin Biró also join us from Romania three times a year for six months in total, and can mostly be found out in the vineyards. And although they are currently living far away, our three kids also routinely assist us in our work. Autumn is always a bustling time at the estate. Winemaking students, young sommeliers and free spirits looking to earn a few euros round out our harvest and cellar teams. As winegrowers, we naturally cultivate one thing: grapevines, 12 hectares in all. But we are not after simple-minded monoculture in pursuit of greater yields. No, we place our unconditional trust in the natural processes. For example, we leave wild space between the vines for nature to run her course. Later in the year the green cover is mowed in alternate passes to ensure that something is always blooming in the vineyards. Wild bees and a wide variety of butterflies, otherwise increasingly rare, prove the wisdom of this idea. Naturally we're also blessed to be able to count on sufficient levels of precipitation, so the wild herbs growing between the vines have no need to compete for precious water and nutrients. Irrigation has been — to this point — unnecessary on the Mosel. And last but not least, we maintain a 3.5-hectare goat pasture directly adjacent to our parcels in a small side valley, with unused vineyard space. This is above all else a biodiversity project — as well as a chance to maintain the quality of the neighboring vineyards: forests too close to the Mullay-Hofberg can cause problems, including undergrowth, grape loss to birds, and excessive moisture — but our goats keep it all in check. The animals also brighten the landscape and bring us joy as winegrowers, as well as to the hikers who wander by...