Jochen Dreissigacker: ”Rheinhessen is a playground for all terroir wine lovers"

Renowned Rheinhessen estate Dreissigacker is one of Star Wine List’s Global Partners. They will be presenting the Best Medium-Sized List in both the upcoming Asia celebration and the International Final in June. We caught up with the mastermind behind the wines – winemaker Jochen Dreissigacker.

(Partner story with Dreissigacker)

Dreissigacker, with 45 hectares of vineyards in Rheinhessen, is a driving force of the ongoing so-called "Rheinhessen revival", where many producers work to strengthen the region's reputation through high-quality wines.

“Rheinhessen is the largest German wine-growing region with an incredible variety of microclimates, sites and soils. A playground for all terroir wine lovers, which is certainly favoured by climate change,” says Jochen.

Jochen Dreissigacker has been leading the work in the estate since 2001, but he realized early in life that wine was a calling.

“I grew up in our winery, so I was in the thick of things from an early age. I was never asked to take over the business, so I was free to develop my enthusiasm for wine and explore new avenues,” he says.

When you took over the estate, you implemented a lot of new routines, tell us about that?
"I realised early on that living soils are the basis for everything and so I very quickly switched to organic viticulture. I also learnt that a lot of hard work and diligence in the vineyard produces outstanding quality, which, with a bit of luck, will then become great wines, and that's what I wanted to achieve right from the start."

We work every day to improve our work in the vineyard and introduce new techniques

How would you say your wines have changed over time?
"The wines have certainly grown up. They started out a little stronger and louder, but over time they have become more subtle and refined, and certainly drier."

What is the main focus for Dreissigacker right now?
"There are many focal points. We work every day to improve our work in the vineyard and introduce new techniques, to promote dynamic viticulture, but also on how we communicate our values and convince people of our idea."

What are the main goals for the upcoming years?
"We have big plans and want to make innovations such as our multi-vintage blend Vintages Riesling and the idea behind it accessible to even more people."

Anything you want to add?
"We see it as our task to further develop viticulture as we know it in its many forms. This gives us the opportunity to bring German wines and our passion for them to the world."