Andi Weigand

In romantic Iphofen, Andi Weigand conjures up the long-established wine region of Franconia with a lot of enthusiasm and drive. After completing his oenology studies in Geisenheim in 2013, where he studied with Philipp Luckert and the Rings brothers, among others, he turned his parents' winery upside down and took his first steps with determination. The first vintage was harvested in 2015. It goes without saying that Andi does not use herbicides or other methods; his father Werner already followed a natural viticulture philosophy, and today Andi goes one step further.

The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand and with the utmost care, as only very healthy grapes are used. Andi's natural wines radiate a wonderful clarity, precision and also tranquillity, which in turn is due to the partly very old vines that grow on heavy Keuper soils and give the wines a wonderful, slightly smoky minerality. The grapes are gently pressed directly after harvesting and the must is transported to the cellar by gravity, which also ensures a lot of juiciness. After spontaneous fermentation, the wines mature in large wooden barrels and steel vats, where they are completely fermented and have a maximum of one gram of residual sugar, which whistles.

For some time now, he has also been working with clay vessels such as the Kvevri and with two amphorae. Andi's natural wines have real draught and a compact structure. "I would like our wine to break the boundaries," says Andi. He is the revolutionary in Franconian Iphofen and further proof that the new generation of German winemakers is really up to it.