5 questions to... Alexander Stauffer

What a nice family, the Stauffers from Germany's Rheinhessen wine region. And everyone helps out in the business. Son Alexander is the winemaker who wants the limestone area around Flomborn to be reflected in his wines. Wine Guide Falstaff speaks highly of the minerality and "aromatic clarity" he achieves by working artisanally and farming organically. We have him on the line and ask about this.
Text: Marjolein Schuman | Image: supplied

1.How can you taste organic viticulture?

'Working organically means you are more responsive to the needs of the vineyard. You are more sensitive to it than in conventional viticulture. It's a learning process, which I go through with my family, we discover something new all the time. Because everything you do in the vineyard, you taste it back in the wine.'

2. Why did you plant the vines on the hill?

'This area used to be an ocean and of this, lime and fossil deposits remain in the soil. The plains of Rheinhessen are very fertile, many vegetables are grown there, but they are not necessarily suitable for growing grapes. 'Gutes Ackerland is slechtes Weinland', we say here. Higher up on the hills it is cooler and there is a poorer soil of limestone, and that is good for the vines.'

2b.Does the river also contribute to your terroir?

'No, the Rhine is too far away to have an impact. From the top of our vineyard, you can see where it flows, but you cannot look down into the valley at the water.'