The Southern Mosel Would Like a Word

By Rainer Schäfer

Jonas Dostert is relaxing in the inner courtyard of his family's estate in Nittel. The sun is shining, the grapes were harvested in late October. Dostert is one of the growers of note at the southern end of the Mosel, a stretch long known as Obermosel. It’s a name many young growers in particular have rejected, as part of an effort to separate themselves from the region’s poor image in the past. "Obermosel" conjures images of accommodating, appeasing wines, the very definition of compromise. Dostert has quite a different understanding of winegrowing: “What I do is different from what's typically offered around here.” Putting his ideas into practice isn’t always easy, given that he still shares the estate with his father. “We have very conflicting ideas,” explains Dostert, who is slated to take over the business soon. Father and son are still working in parallel, the cellar divided into two areas: generational conflict in tight quarters.

  ... to read the full article, click here and become a patreon subscriber.

                                     If you are already a member please sign in here