Wednesday Wine Tip - 03.04.24

SKIN by Andi Weigand

Vibrant Freshness

Wine: SKIN 2021

Winemaker: Andi Weigand

Origin: Franken, Germany

Grapes: Sylvaner

Method: Grapes from 50-year old vines with 9 months of skin contact in qvevri, and then one year in old barrels from the region.

This week's Wednesday Wine Tip is SKIN 2021 from the young winemaker Andi Weigand from Germany. This is an orange wine I've been keeping an eye on for a while after tasting it almost a year ago the first time. It felt too young and too unstable at the time, but after spending a good amount of time in the bottle, it's finally matured enough and can be enjoyed as the star it is.

I love orange wines made on Sylvaner grapes, not just because I find that it is a grape that really shines when it get's some skin in the mix, but also because it gives a sharp, fresh, minerally, and exciting bouqet of aromas and flavors. This one is no exception, but don't expect this to be a very heavy orange wine, despite the 9 months with the skins in qvevri. In my experience, when you surpass 3 months of skin contact you actually get less of the very intense skin contact extractions. It becomes a bit softer, more embedded into the wine's totality, and gives a subtle richness more than an in-your-face orange wine punch.

Andi Weigand is a trailblazer among Germany's new wave of young winemakers, cultivating his vineyards in Iphöfen Kronsberg. His unique approach leverages the steep, sun-bathed slopes for subtlety, diverging from the region's norm by harnessing lower elevation sites to moderate the vines' sun exposure. Weigand marries tradition with innovation, nurturing vines aged 50-60 years through organic practices. Handpicked grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation and age in old oak barrels, embodying Weigand's commitment to creating wines that are both powerful and refined without relying on high alcohol content.

Getting tipsy at wine tastings

Both times I have had this, have been at wine tastings. The first time, as mentioned earlier in this article, I felt a bit disappointed that the wine didn't gave me a bigger experience considering the grape, length of skin contact, aging in qvevri and old barrels, and also that his other wines are pretty solid all together. I assumed it needed more time, and went on with my life.

The next time I tried this wine was last weekend at Oslo Velo's 8th anniversary when the Norwegian importer Bibito brought their Andi Weigand lineup to the event. The wine was so much better, and finally living up to the name. It's also a wine that goes down fast, so don't be surprised if a bottle goes down faster then expected. It went fast for me at least.

Deep House Music

I love music, and I love pairing wine and music together. In many of the other posts I have recommended specific albums that have a specific vibe and mood I feel will work well with a bottle of wine. For this week's wine we are not in a specific album, but deep house music as a genre. I do have some specific songs in mind tho.

The reason for this pairing is that the wine feels very much alive, because of the sharp acidity, chuggable minerality, and pure energy that you get from this wine's aromas. Here are some songs I feel would go well with this wine:

• Nous by Kora
• Seehunger Love by Maax 52
• Contact (Karen Nyame KG Remix) by Kelela
• Happy Ending (A.G Remix) by Kelela
• No Ending (Nils Hoffmann Remix) by Yotto and Julia Church
• Landing in Halifax by Passenger 10
• Islander by Kasper Koman and Shai T
• One Step by Helsloot and Jono McCleery

The feeling of spring in the air

You know the one I am talking about. When you go outside, the sun is shining in your face, the air feels alive, you can smell things around you again, the smell of asphalt, of flowers and plants growing, the sound of birds chirping, laughter from a park, someone opening a bottle of wine.

I am of course biased to loving this month considering I was born in early May, but it's also a time that brings back most memories of all the seasons. Not because I did more in the spring than other times of the year, but because the things I smell during the spring brings back the strongest memories connected to smells. SKIN from Andi Weigand has it's own experience of smells that brings me back to this season and makes we feel more alive again. I recommend enjoying it while you enjoy things coming alive around you, outside in the fresh spring air.

Enjoy!