Franconian wine rethought
As master winemaker Lukas Schmidt from Bullenheim is an expert when it comes to a good wine. Sustainability in viticulture is just as important to him and his team as diverse flavors and enjoyment of wine. “For me, wine is, above all, joy in life,” he emphasizes. He doesn't want to follow the old customs of the wine industry. “As winemakers, we are also farmers – paying attention to nature should be a given for us.” That’s why he doesn’t want his wine, even though it is organically grown and vegan, to be chosen based solely on the label. “Wine should be drunk because it tastes good!”
Bullenheim wine growing over centuries
Wine has been made on the estate on the border with Lower Franconia for over 450 years. “Until two generations ago, it was a mixed agricultural operation,” explains Lukas Schmidt. His grandfather was the first in the family to concentrate entirely on the vine juice. Since 2019, the young winemaker has been giving the wine his own signature. His father is still the “guardian of the grapes” and is responsible for the catering area.
Lukas Schmidt learned to “make wine” in Styria and South Tyrol, the most famous wine regions in Europe. Here he was taught how to “turn the right adjustment screws” to get the best flavor from the vines. “I could never imagine any other job.” Today he is involved in every step of the work at the winery. This includes caring for and cultivating the vines, as well as marketing its aromatic “nose wines”. He receives active support from his team. “We are like a big family,” says the winemaker.
Innovative “game changer”
Lukas Schmidt opened the new wine shop in May. “We have created a kind of living room here,” he says. “Young people in particular are often worried about doing something wrong when tasting wine - but wine should be uncomplicated, that's what we want to convey here.” The young winemaker has made it his mission to break through old thought patterns. This is also evident in his latest creation. With “Gamechanger”, a white wine that he produces together with Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, he has brought the first wine with an innovative augmented reality label to the German-speaking market. “We just wanted to rethink wine and hope our idea is well received!”
The link to the N-Ergie online magazine:
https://magazin.n-ergie.de/?p=4700&preview=1&_ppp=6e1d0ad465
