Georg Heinrich Wiedemann is an artist.

With his thinning hair tied back in a ponytail and his wire-rimmed glasses, he doesn't exactly look like an entrepreneur who does business with his company worldwide.

"Schorsch" gives the impression of a loner who likes to tinker and tinker around.

In fact, the landlord of the “Doktorenhof” in the Palatinate winegrowing community of Venningen is a multi-talent who makes everything himself when it comes to making his wine vinegars: first the wine, then the vinegar, and finally the labels.

Peter Badenhop

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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“Schorsch” Wiedemann and his wife Johanna embarked on a journey with the conversion of their winery into a vinegar manufactory almost four decades ago, and for a long time they did not know where it would lead.

Today, their "Doktorenhof" is well known to many gourmets and chefs throughout Germany and far beyond.

What Wiedemann does has little to do with conventional vinegars.

He doesn't produce his drops with machines, but according to the old Orléans process developed in the 17th century.

Like wines, his vinegars often mature for years and are then flavored with fruit, herbs and spices.

A few new creations are added every year, and the range now includes dozens of vinegars for drinking, for cooking, for inhaling, even for bathing.

Wiedemann has an armada of elixirs on offer just for the kitchen, for seasoning and refining dishes: from vinegars made from Pinot Blanc, Riesling or Gewürztraminer to apple, elderberry and raspberry vinegar, saffron and porcini vinegar.

But perhaps his most concentrated creation is his “Fleur de Dottore”.

Of course, this extract is also based on fine vinegar, but it gets its strength from spices, herbs and, above all, old rock salt.

This makes it so intense that it becomes the perfect universal seasoning as an accompaniment to vinaigrettes, sauces, soups, glazes or on its own as a drop by drop for carpaccios and especially fish and seafood.

Wiedemann offers it in three versions: as "purus" made from wine vinegar, grape must, rock salt and honey,

as "herba" with additional herbal extracts and as "floridus" with fruit aromas.

A 0.25 liter bottle costs 36 euros – and this seasoning sauce is worth every penny.

You can get the "Fleur de Dottore" and the other sour creations directly at the "Doktorenhof" in Venningen, Raiffeisenstraße 5, and online at

www.doktorenhof.de

.