Weingut Schmitt – “Frei.Korper.Kultur” Weiss 2018

Weingut Schmitt – “Frei.Korper.Kultur” Weiss 2018 is a blend of Burgundian varieties and some of the unique German crossings developed in the first half of the 20th century. The Scheurebe, Pinot Blanc, and Huxelrebe are given skin contact while the Pinot Gris and Ortega are directly pressed. Farming is certified biodynamic, fermentation is with wild yeasts, and no filtering or fining is done, which makes this one a premium white wine. Very minimal additions of sulphites added at bottling but otherwise nothing else.

Frei.Körper.Kultur is about re-working the idea of tradition. Freikorperkultur is normally written as one word. This is separated on the bottle to three.The Idea behind the wine is to offer something uncomplicated and refreshing – an introduction to natural wine. The litre bottle is to say that it is a bottle for friends and for the table. Something to be enjoyed rather than analysed.

Frei – be free (be brave to be free), Korper – body (we are all the same kind) and Kultur – culture (cultivate your nature). In essence, natural wine is just pure wine – nothing fancy or clever – and that wine is individual because the people behind it are individuals.

The Schmitt winery has been in the family for over 230 years with Bianka and Daniel working their 16 hectares for the last decade. Bianka comes from Hungary and they met in 2012 when she was cellar hand in his parent’s winery. They work in full biodynamics which they learned from Alsace vigneron Patrick Meyer and are one of only 80 producers in Germany to be Demeter certified.