Nord und Süd

It all started in 2004! Christoph made his first wine and the 2006 vintage was already awarded. Wine journeys through the new and old world followed, he was always interested in “a wine that touches the senses and the soul, and ... of which you want a second glass.” Mathilde joined in 2013. As a Frenchwoman, she clearly brings the style from her homeland into the Nord & Süd wines. She also uncompromisingly follows the path of biodynamic agriculture. Since 2020, only natural wines have been vinified. Since all the vineyard and cellar work is much more enjoyable and fun with two people, the winery has gradually grown and today 3 hectares with around 10,000 vines are worked exclusively by Mathilde and Christoph. The locations are from the north to the south of the Kamptal, from 200 to 410m above sea level. The deepest are pure, deep loess layers, and the higher the loess content is, it becomes more clayey or very mineral with mica schist, quartz or paragneiss, depending on the location. The Bohemian Massif in the north brings coolness and acidity, the Pannonian climate across the Danube brings warmth and ripeness. During many discussions, the two heads passionately think about how and when they can best support and care for the cycle of nature - the soil is well cared for - the soil life is active - animals, insects, microorganisms feel really good. Then the vines will do really well too! And grapes grow that develop their full potential in the cellar, creating lively wines that tell of their terroir and make the character of the soil clearly perceptible. Natural and untouched, spontaneously fermented, unfiltered and without additives, only as little sulfur as possible. From 2023 the wines will be certified organic, we have been working biodynamically since 2022, Demeter certification will follow in the next years. We are frugal and generous: we use the tractor sparingly to put as little strain on our soil as possible, we do it sparingly with the interventions in the vineyard but especially in the cellar. More detailed description below. We are generous with our commitment and our own strength: We work the vineyards exclusively in pairs (pruning, weeding, defoliation, tending to the greenery, winding, we even usually only do the harvest in pairs if the weather permits). We have a real relationship with our vineyards and our soils, we can't imagine it any other way. In the vineyard: the vines are cut and cared for by hand, so it is very precise and personal care; we can adapt to the vines, their locations and vitality in order to bring them into a good balance. The grape harvest is carried out exclusively by hand, most of the time in 25kg boxes, sometimes in 200kg boxes. It is harvested early in the morning to harvest cool grapes without the need for artificial cooling. In the cellar: the grapes are trampled underfoot; depending on the type of wine, there will be a maceration period of 6 hours to 6 weeks. Fermentation only occurs spontaneously. No fining, added yeast, yeast nutrients, enzymes, tannins, deacidification or acidification, no filtration. No destemmer, no mash pump, the only electrical devices in the cellar are the press and the pump. The only additive that is allowed in the wine is SO2, if we deem it necessary and in very small quantities.