When wine lovers drive through the gentle hilly landscape of the Kaiserstuhl, where terraces with vines spread out and slope gently downwards, they expect above all grape varieties from the Burgundy family, which have made this wine-growing region between the Black Forest and the Vosges so well-known.

As in other parts of Baden, Pinot Noir is a must, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc like the area as well.

Marco Dettweiler

Editor in Business.

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Of course, the VDP winery Bercher has them all in the program - but also works with grape varieties that are rather unusual in Vogtsburg and the surrounding area.

The Sasbacher Riesling Ortswein can easily compete with the competition in the Palatinate and Rheingau.

Unusual is not yet exclusive.

A winegrower has to reach into his bag of tricks more.

Arne Bercher has been doing magic for a few years by creating a cuvée that is extremely rare in Germany: For 16.50 euros, he is currently surprising with the 2020 Scheurebe & Chenin Blanc -SE- dry.

The grape varieties

Scheurebe doesn't have the best reputation in Germany.

Many winegrowers tend to make them sweeter than Spätlese or Auslese, but meanwhile you can also find dry Scheureben.

The grape variety likes volcanic soils, which abound in the Kaiserstuhl.

Chenin Blanc has long spread outside of France.

People have developed a taste for it in California, as well as in New Zealand and South Africa, which is now considered the main growing area.

Only in Germany Chenin Blanc is quite unknown.

Greater than the sum of its parts

Arne Bercher definitely sees a lot of potential in his cuvée.

"The two grape varieties complement each other wonderfully, the whole is more than the sum of its parts," says the winemaker.

The Scheurebe is elegant and fragrant, while the Chenin Blanc can grab hold of it and give the wine structure and length on the palate.

The ratio of the two grape varieties in the cuvée fluctuates a little from year to year, as a rule it is a little more Scheurebe than Chenin Blanc, says Bercher.

In the cellar, the two grape varieties are "married" before fermentation.

In contrast to the cuvée process called assemblage in France, in which the winegrowers blend different finished wines, here Scheurebe and Chenin Blanc are harvested, pressed and fermented together at the same time.

Both grape varieties play with each other

Once in the glass, the wine shows clear fruit aromas on the nose after just two or three snifters.

Yellow fruits come to the fore, something exotic joins them.

The Scheurebe is self-confident, but remains slim and elegant.

But mineral, reductive notes are also indicated in the nose.

Without the palate being involved, both grape varieties play with each other.

On the palate, this drop is complex and shows different layers through which you can taste.

Now it becomes clear what Arne Bercher means when he says that the Chenin Blanc brings structure to the wine.

After the fruit, something slightly tart is also noticeable, the moderate acidity gives the palate a pleasant grip before a long finish sets in, which in turn is reminiscent of the fruitiness at the beginning.

Even after several sips, the wine does not become boring and retains its structure, which makes it a perfect accompaniment to food.