Weingut Odinstal

At first, Thomas Hensel, owner of Odinstal, was thought to be a bit crazy, which he undoubtedly is a little bit: Viticulture in Germany at 300-350 meters above sea level? How could the grapes ever ripen here? To claim full ripeness would certainly be easy for a salesman like Hensel, but good taste is known to be incorruptible. But Odinstal is not exactly Little Siberia; after all, the villa and its vines have a 200-year history. It was Johann Ludwig Wolf, mayor and vineyard owner in Wachenheim (his former domaine, Villa Wolf, is now owned by none other than Riesling guru Ernst Loosen from the Mosel), who had everything cleared, terraced and planted with vines. Even before Hensel acquired the villa together with the land, the vineyards were cultivated by the organic Weingut Sieben Erben in Deidesheim. With Andreas Schumann, Hensel brought in a committed young winemaker right at the beginning, who was attracted by the task of building up something completely new here high above the predominantly conventional-winegrowing Pfalz and on already healthy soils—a biodynamic winery that should come as close as possible to the Steiner ideal of the circular economy and the autonomous agricultural farm, even though Odinstal has no animals of its own and grows fruit and vegetables only for private supply. The cattle grazing here from May to October are from a friendly farm, but their manure is used year-round in the vineyards, while the horns, skulls and small intestines obligatory for biodynamic viticulture come from other organic livestock farms, because the borrowed cattle are allowed to get “too old” to be slaughtered for their own farm. There are few wineries in Germany that are run with the same seriousness and consistency, sustainably organic and biodynamic in Steiner's sense, as the Demeter-certified Odinstal Estate. Andreas Schumann has long been highly regarded not only as a farmer and winemaker but is also in demand internationally as a viticultural consultant. He is well connected in biodynamic circles far beyond the country's borders and creates new networks as a lecturer as well as an instructor on his own farm, which, by the way, is heated purely with wood and pellets. At Odinstal, the acquisition of chickens and sheep is under consideration, as is the topic of sustainability in the broader social and ethical senses. “We are currently working on achieving a CO2-neutral balance,” Andreas says. However, this will not be possible without the support of social projects to compensate for this. Likewise, everything that belongs to biodiversity in flora and fauna is currently being recorded. In order to provide a home for insects, only wooden poles are used in the completely greened vineyard. In addition, hedges, shrubs and trees, especially early bloomers, attract visitors because February can already be very warm in the Palatinate and allows bees and bumblebees to fly in search of food. Maintaining the numerous dry stone walls not only helps to preserve the cultural landscape but also provides shelter for lizards and insects. Even though the wine bottles themselves are still conventional, plastic or stannic capsules are no longer used. Instead, beeswax now covers the corks. Plastic is also no longer used for shipping, and the adhesive tape is made of paper.

Weingut Odinstal is located high above Wachenheim in the Mittelhaardt, Pfalz—it is the highest wine estate in the region, with vines from 300 to 350 meters above sea level. For 21 years it has been owned by businessman Thomas Hensel. The first commercialized vintage was the 2004, which is still delicious today, but a lot has happened since the beginning, even if the estate—completely isolated, without any neighbors, close to a former volcano, the Pechsteinkopf—has remained small. The vineyard area of 6.4 hectares adjoins four hectares of pasture and seven hectares of forest, which, however, is not used for forestry but is more or less left to itself and the animals. Almost the entire vineyard area is contiguous—only the Wachenheim vineyards Schlossberg and Altenberg lie apart—but they do not appear by name on any Odinstal wines. Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer and Pinot varieties (including Auxerrois) are cultivated, as well as apples. The farm's cider, which was initially produced rather unintentionally or out of necessity, quickly gained cult status and has become indispensable. The wines, vinified by the parcel, mostly in stainless steel but also in wood and clay amphorae and often bottled unfiltered, are low or unsulfured and enjoy a high reputation both in top gastronomy and in natural wine circles because of their class and individuality.