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Wine Information
Im Großen Garten – Weingut Knipser
Weingut Knipser is a 40 hectare wine estate situated in the north of the Pfalz wine region. It is located in the small village of Laumershaim and since 1850 a property of the Knipser family which is running the company. Wine is cultivated in Laumersheim since the year 769, so it is a historic wine region in Europe.
The single vineyard Im Großen Garten is one of the best single vineyards of the region. It is a southern slope with limestone rock soil very sinilar to the Cote d'Or limestone in Burgundy. It is classified as a German grand cru called "Großes Gewächs".The vineyard was replanted in 1993 with vines from Burgundy of the Pinot Noir clone 777.
The Knipser family were initially farmers, typical for the region with mixed agricultural products. In addition to wine, various fruits and vegetables were harvested. Wine was sold in barrels to the retailers. As one of the first wine estates in the region, they started already in 1948 with estate bottled wine and direct sales to private customers and to restaurants. In the beginning of 1970s, the agricultural production was totally changed to wine production only, which has then continually been expanded.
The current owners of the estate, Volker and Werner Knipser, already in the 1980s started to use small oak barrels - barriques. They increased the share of red wine and started to grow new types of wines typical for the region but also international ones - always of the best quality. The return of the harvest is always below the average of the region and is comparable to the international top wine producers.
This continuous striving for top quality was 1993 honored by the Association for German Predicate Wine - VDP - by making the Knipser estate a member of VDP.
Since 2005, Werner Knipser's oldest son Stephan is co-owner of the Knipser estate.
"In 2001, for the first time, we started the production of Grosse Gewächse ("Grand Cru") according to the guidelines of the VDP in our best vineyards. This gives us the opportunity to emphasize and show the quality of wine from these vineyards. They show the very best of our wine production and are dry wines of international standards, which need to be produced according to very stringent and rigorous guidelines."
The best vineyard locations for Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) is partly populated with vines from Burgundy and deliver extract-rich, mineral and profound and complex red wine with lots of finesse and big stocking potential.
In addition to a vineyard with excellent properterties, a very limited harvest volume and grape selection is required in order to bring out the best of a Grosses Gewächs. Only a first class vineyard combined with perfect cultivation and care about the grapes during the whole period until harvesting will result in the wine, which we call Grosses Gewächs and which you can enjoy once in the glass.
The vineyard is well protected close to the village, surrounded by two houses. This also gives the name to the vineyard ("in the big garden").