Preserving the best – and venturing into new territory. In 2018, Kathrin Puff, head winemaker at Eberbach Monastery, dared to do something new: create an authentic and uncompromising Steinberger wine. And now it's here: Steinberger Wild Ferment, limited to just a few magnum bottles.

The journey of Steinberger Wild Ferment began with pure nature. A unique component of the wine is the natural fermentation starter, which comes directly from the vineyard. After crushing, Steinberger grapes ferment in a glass demijohn – right in the middle of the vineyard. Steinberger grapes with Steinberger yeasts – wild fermented.

The oldest vines, the perfect grapes – only the very best were selected. The wine is made entirely according to the Burgundian model of the Cistercians: beginning with maceration on the grape skins. This is followed by the extraction of the must, which is then transferred to barriques stored in the old Steinberg forge. The final step is the merging of the naturally fermenting must from the vineyard with the must in the barrel.

The old blacksmith's shop not only represents the long tradition of Steinberg, but it was also chosen as the fermentation site because here the wine can ferment protected from other yeasts in the cellar. Only the unique yeast culture from Steinberg allows the metamorphosis to occur: the original and uncompromising Steinberger is born.