How to work with time

On the very same day I am due to leave Rethaller, I get to meet Martin, the son and the hands behind many of the wines I have tasted during my stay.

Listening to him talk about how he thinks, and about the philosophy behind his work, confirms what I had already know; The key words in this family are quality and honesty.

And, perhaps just as importantly, the courage to let things take time. Not to rush. Something we will return to later, when he tells me about their Sekt.

It all starts in the vineyard

Like all good wines, Rethaller’s wines begin in the vineyard, on the vine. Rather than simply picking grapes from different parts of the vineyard and deciding later what they might become, each vine, each row, already has a destination. Future Sekt, future Fuchskeller, and so on. According to Martin, this allows them to focus on bringing out the very best in the grapes, suited to their purpose, right there in the vineyard.

yes, I am old…

I have now reached the age where everyone under 35 feels like a small child, and I have to restrain myself from asking whether they have brought a note from their mother. I admit that I have even been heard muttering something along the lines of “The youth of today…”

But here, I cannot help being swept along by Martin’s youthful enthusiasm, combined with deep and solid knowledge. He knows exactly what he is doing, and he does it very well.

the Sekt

In 2020, the family began making Sekt as they wanted a sparkling wine. And since quality and tradition are values that seem to run through the family like a particularly well-structured backbone, the choice of method was never really in doubt : The traditional method.

I get to taste the 2022 vintage. Made from Weißburgunder, it has spent 30 months on the lees. The perlage is beautiful, with small, even, pearl-like bubbles. The nose is clear and clean, with notes of apple and lemon. Elegant and dry on the palate, with the same apple and citrus notes now joined by blood grapefruit. A perfect wine for any occasion.

It is not often that I have to deal with the question of leftover wine. But Reinhard brings out another bottle of Sekt, one that has been open for an entire week (!), and asks if I would like to taste it. Hand on heart, my expectations are not exactly high. But believe it or not, the aroma, the flavours… everything is still there. Even the bubbles. No, certainly not as many as before. More of a quiet little reminder of their former presence. But there is still absolutely no doubt that this is Sekt.

A decade of waiting

Which brings us back to the idea of time. ( No, not open bottles. But closed, still in the making.) Down in the Rethaller cellar, a number of Sekt bottles from each vintage are waiting. Patiently. The plan is for them to spend ten years on the lees. Ten.Years! Only then will they be disgorged and presented.

I must admit. There is something wonderfully unreasonable about it. In a world where we want everything immediately, here are bottles that are not even halfway through their waiting period. And they are not worried. They are just sitting there. Doing their thing. Waiting.

I am already very much looking forward to coming back in a few years to taste what I strongly suspect will be a truly fantastic wine. Worth waiting for!