BULLENHEIM - He wants to change the wine industry: The Franconian lifestyle winemaker Lukas Schmidt creates the "Gamechanger" together with the power couple Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht and Laura-Marie Geissler.
Too often, restaurateur Lukas Schmidt has experienced people, often especially young adults, who have reservations about ordering wine from the menu in a restaurant. Does the wine also go well with the food? Is it at the right temperature? Wouldn't a dry variety be a better fit? For Schmidt, all of these considerations are "total nonsense" because "wine has to taste good, wine is meant to be drunk." And “wine represents the easy life”, it should be uncomplicated and the words used should be understandable.
That's why Schmidt relies on "smart wines", as he calls it himself: "We've been making wine on our estate in Bullenheim for eleven generations. Over this whole time, everyone has taken their own path. My father had his style, my grandfather did his style - and this is mine," explained the young winemaker in an interview with this editorial team.
With two prominent partners, the Franconian has now created a wine that can be declared the epitome of his wine philosophy: actor Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, racing driver Laura-Marie Geissler and Lukas Schmidt want to offer the "Gamechanger Allrounder", a white wine that, according to the winemaker, " “fits all situations in life”.
This is how the cooperation with Ochsenknecht and Geissler came about
The idea for this arose in June: Geissler and Ochsenknecht, whom Schmidt had met years before at an event and immediately described as an "absolute gourmet", suggested to the young winemaker that they create a wine together. The trio then sat down together over a glass of wine, initially successfully looking for an “interpersonal basis” and later finding a way to combine their tastes in one type of wine.
What was particularly important to Schmidt was not the couple's prominence, but rather the "friendly relationship" with the two of them: "I value values and long-term relationships. We have a similar base of values and quickly realized that we were a great fit." What they have in common: “All three want to revolutionize their industry,” says Schmidt. “Jimi Blue has made the leap from child star to successful businessman,” it says on the website about the former “Wilde Jungs” star. His girlfriend Geissler is one of the few female protagonists in the men's motorsport industry and also finances her racing team through an NFT project.
This aspect is also reflected in the wine - or rather in its presentation: "Wine is usually something traditional. With the augmented reality label, we combine tradition with technology and innovation," states Schmidt. Because: The bottles have a special label that customers can scan with the camera app on their smartphone. "The stores usually don't have their own wine advisors to help customers make their choice. Young people and less experienced wine drinkers in particular are often overwhelmed. The label allows them to access information on their smartphones."
The “Gamechanger Allrounder” will be presented exclusively in September – and should only be the beginning. Depending on how the white wine is received by the individual target groups, Schmidt plans to “add another grape-based, delicious product” and “expand the product portfolio around the game changer”.
Author: sde
c/o Nürnberger Nachrichten
Photo: Lukas Schmidt Wein
