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RIP Daniel Vollenweider
- Thread starter MLipton
- Start date
Oh goodness, this is sad news.
I had two lovely visits with Daniel Vollenweider, once in 2016 and once in 2004. In 2004 he apologized at the end of the tasting that he had no wine to sell us. My quick thinking wife offered that, if we can't buy some wine, perhaps we could buy Daniel dinner, and off we went for a meal at the bar of the Hotel Bellevue, after peaking into their beautiful main restaurant.
I didn't know him well and, outside of the visits to his estate, he and I only met on a few other brief encounters at NYC events. Even with that limited exposure I know he was a friendly, gracious person who made some wonderful wine.
There's a very nice posting on Vom Boden:
John
I had two lovely visits with Daniel Vollenweider, once in 2016 and once in 2004. In 2004 he apologized at the end of the tasting that he had no wine to sell us. My quick thinking wife offered that, if we can't buy some wine, perhaps we could buy Daniel dinner, and off we went for a meal at the bar of the Hotel Bellevue, after peaking into their beautiful main restaurant.
I didn't know him well and, outside of the visits to his estate, he and I only met on a few other brief encounters at NYC events. Even with that limited exposure I know he was a friendly, gracious person who made some wonderful wine.
There's a very nice posting on Vom Boden:
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www.vomboden.com
John
Some of you may know that Daniel and I were close. I worked several seasons for him after we'd met at Dr. Loosen. I've reposted what I wrote on my website here (no link as it feels rather gauche to direct any traffic from here):
"I'm still in shock, half a world away. Daniel passed away last Friday at around 10pm local (Mosel) time, and three days later, somehow I'm hoping that the next email will be from him. Without him, KOT Selections and Analogue Wine Merchant would not exist.
We first met at Dr. Loosen in 1999, and immediately recognised each other as a weinfreak (a typically accurate German compound noun, especially for Anglophones). Working for him over several seasons, he not only taught me unsparingly about Riesling and the Mosel, but was quietly inspirational in his "show, don't tell" manner. While I remember joking with him when the winery finally turned profitable and had to pay taxes, it took long enough that anyone else without his determination would have quit before that point.
That willpower shows through amply in all his wines, which have a forceful edge in youth, but most of all his debut vintage in 2000. I will never forget the smell of rot in the vineyards (and cellars!) in that rain-sodden autumn, and how drastically poor some of the wines were (especially from the top estates). But Daniel soldiered on, sorting out all the affected bunches, and made some of the most thrilling Rieslings that year. There wasn't much, of course, but every single wine across the prädikat range was majestic. I don't think anyone else could have done it.
There are so many more stories - affixing capsules to 2 pallets of wine (over a thousand bottles!) in a single night by hand, prog rock in the background; drinking filthy (literally and qualitatively) wine at the local harvest festival; never-ending debates about Jever and Bitburger as the more appropriate post-work drink (two very different German beers); inane but unprintable jokes about Weinhaus Porn in Bernkastel (a much-liked client!); advising a French vigneron on how to make a kabinett-style Viognier - but it was the sense of purpose and satisfaction that stands out most clearly. When the Park Hotel sign finally came off the wall of the winery facing the river road (Daniel had been contractually and financially obliged to keep it on for several years), he proudly told me that the winery was now truly his.
It'll always be, my friend. Rest in peace."
"I'm still in shock, half a world away. Daniel passed away last Friday at around 10pm local (Mosel) time, and three days later, somehow I'm hoping that the next email will be from him. Without him, KOT Selections and Analogue Wine Merchant would not exist.
We first met at Dr. Loosen in 1999, and immediately recognised each other as a weinfreak (a typically accurate German compound noun, especially for Anglophones). Working for him over several seasons, he not only taught me unsparingly about Riesling and the Mosel, but was quietly inspirational in his "show, don't tell" manner. While I remember joking with him when the winery finally turned profitable and had to pay taxes, it took long enough that anyone else without his determination would have quit before that point.
That willpower shows through amply in all his wines, which have a forceful edge in youth, but most of all his debut vintage in 2000. I will never forget the smell of rot in the vineyards (and cellars!) in that rain-sodden autumn, and how drastically poor some of the wines were (especially from the top estates). But Daniel soldiered on, sorting out all the affected bunches, and made some of the most thrilling Rieslings that year. There wasn't much, of course, but every single wine across the prädikat range was majestic. I don't think anyone else could have done it.
There are so many more stories - affixing capsules to 2 pallets of wine (over a thousand bottles!) in a single night by hand, prog rock in the background; drinking filthy (literally and qualitatively) wine at the local harvest festival; never-ending debates about Jever and Bitburger as the more appropriate post-work drink (two very different German beers); inane but unprintable jokes about Weinhaus Porn in Bernkastel (a much-liked client!); advising a French vigneron on how to make a kabinett-style Viognier - but it was the sense of purpose and satisfaction that stands out most clearly. When the Park Hotel sign finally came off the wall of the winery facing the river road (Daniel had been contractually and financially obliged to keep it on for several years), he proudly told me that the winery was now truly his.
It'll always be, my friend. Rest in peace."
Robert Dentice
Robert Dentice
Yixin - that is beautiful. I did not know your history with Daniel and the Mosel. I was just at the estate 3 weeks ago. Daniel could not do the tastings and was only able to say hello to Stephen. The estate seems to be in capable hands with Moritz.
Larry Stein
Larry Stein
Very nice, Yixin.
I first found out about his wines when Bob Collins at Old Vine Import brought them into the Bay Area. Bob had a few bottles of '00, but I passed on those, given the reputation of the vintage. He poured me a taste of 2001 WG Spatlese "Portz" and that's all it took.
Perhaps Mike Lawton can confirm or refute this since he dealt directly with his importer friend on the East Coast. Bob told me he imported the only mags of that wine into the US. Six in all. I purchased one ($60) and still have it.
I first found out about his wines when Bob Collins at Old Vine Import brought them into the Bay Area. Bob had a few bottles of '00, but I passed on those, given the reputation of the vintage. He poured me a taste of 2001 WG Spatlese "Portz" and that's all it took.
Perhaps Mike Lawton can confirm or refute this since he dealt directly with his importer friend on the East Coast. Bob told me he imported the only mags of that wine into the US. Six in all. I purchased one ($60) and still have it.
I am not aware of any magnums of 2001 Portz Spatlese being brought in . I have 375s and 750s but don't have enough friends to buy magnums.
Thanks to you, Yixin, for your note on Daniel way back when you were there. It was great to meet him and see what he was starting, and to enjoy his company and his wines. Special guy and gone way too soon.
Thanks to you, Yixin, for your note on Daniel way back when you were there. It was great to meet him and see what he was starting, and to enjoy his company and his wines. Special guy and gone way too soon.