The Stritzinger family

Franconia, Germany

The Franconia region of Germany is a wine-producing region located along the Main River, characterized by a cool climate and limestone soil. White wines are the norm, with many fresh, mineral-like wines and a dry style being the norm. Wines bottled in the distinctive Bocksbeutel bottle are emblematic of this region.

Stritzinger family domain and vineyards

It is located in a small village called Klingenberg, about two hours by car from Frankfurt. This place is designated as a German landscape conservation area, and the scenery lined with red-roofed half-timbered buildings is as cute as a picture book. This village is located on the Franconian Red Wine Road.

Looking up from below, the fields are on a steep slope, and when you try to climb up, you will feel your legs freeze because of the steepness. But the view is also spectacular. Looking down the slope, you can see a row of colorful and cute houses, and the majestic Main River flowing nearby.

The fields are terraced from top to bottom, and workers climb stairs for each plot. Because of this location, no machinery can be used and all work is done by hand.

Organic History: Since 1985 (certified in 1990)

The Stritzinger family was founded in 1972 by Willi, father of the current owner Anja. Wanting to grow grapes and make wine himself, Willi started working at a village winery in 1971, and the following year he bought a small 0.5 hectare field and started making his own wine.

Originally sensitive to environmental issues, Willi began switching to environmentally friendly agriculture based on Biolant's guidelines in 1985. Biolant is Germany's oldest and largest organic producers' organization, which has existed since the 1970s. Willi was one of the pioneers and served as an advisor to Biolant.

He also belongs to a party that promotes organic wine and has served as a village council member. He is a passionate person who is involved in such activities even while he is busy with winemaking. The current owner, Anja, studied at an agricultural school in Würzburg for two years, worked as an intern at an organic winery in Mainz for another two years, and took over winemaking from her father in 2001.

• White grapes: Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Johanniter
• Black grapes: Portugieser, Regent
• In addition, several local varieties are cultivated in small quantities.

Field soil

The field is 300 meters above sea level and the soil is sandy. Various plants and animals grow in the field. The field is very sunny and warms up quickly in spring.

Characteristics of cultivation methods etc.

The terraced fields cover a total of 2 hectares, and work is done by climbing up and down stairs for each plot. Of course, no machinery is used, and everything is done by hand, relying only on small tools.

During the harvest, each person carries a basket that can hold 40 kilograms of grapes, takes the picked grapes down to the bottom of each terrace, then climbs up again to carry the harvested grapes, repeating this process 15 times. There are 10 harvest staff and one staff member who carries the grapes down to the bottom.

The Stritzinger family treasures locally grown grapes and continues to cultivate old varieties, regardless of the latest trends. According to Anja, local varieties are best suited to the land, so they are resistant to diseases and grow well. Among them is a grape variety called "Johanniter", which is rare, and there is only one other person left in the village who cultivates it.

Characteristics of brewing method

• After carefully selecting the fruit, it is dropped directly through holes in the floor. No pumps are used.
• The brewery only uses German barrels for brewing. One is an oak barrel from the local town of Klingenberg. The other is a chestnut barrel from the famous chestnut-producing region of Pfalz, which is the hometown of Willi, the brewer's father.
• No yeast is added. Fermentation is carried out using only the yeast that is on the grapes.

From the producers to everyone in Japan

Because we produce very small quantities, most of it is sold out locally, and the only one we export is Mavi in ​​Japan. Even then, we can only ship a very small amount each time.

We continue to grow local grapes and produce small quantities of wine using traditional methods, and have been thankfully recognized, even winning medals.

Please enjoy our wines, which are only available in Japan outside of our home region.