Sand & Gravel – 2019

Weingut Rings – Sand & Kiesel – Red Wine from Portugieser

The Rings Sand & Kiesel 2019 winery is a bone-dry red wine from the Palatinate region. The Portugieser vines are located in Freinsheim vineyards, which are managed by the Rings brothers Andreas and Steffen themselves, from pruning to harvesting. The old vineyards, with vines 40 to 60 years old, lay fallow for a while before being rediscovered by the dedicated winemakers. As a result, they produce small but concentrated grapes. The Sand & Kiesel from Weingut Rings shows the characteristics of its varieties and the soils on which they grew. On the nose, dark forest berries, ripe cherries, dark chocolate, and a beautiful peppery spiciness that continues on the palate. The Sand & Kiesel is dense and very juicy on the palate with soft tannins and balanced acidity.

Rings – Winemaking

The Rings brothers attach great importance to healthy soils, as only from them can healthy vines stand and healthy grapes grow. They begin early with sowing buckwheat, clover, and radish, which prevents soil erosion, attracts beneficial insects, and retains moisture in the soil, which is revitalized with the application of horse manure as a natural fertilizer. Canopy management is also important for the quality of the wine: double shoots are removed manually, and depending on the weather, the grapes are defoliated and thinned to aerate them. The grapes are 100% hand-picked at the optimal harvest time, then sorted and selected again at the winery. Half of the grapes are destemmed. After a short maceration period, the natural yeasts are allowed to work and initiate spontaneous fermentation. The aging took place partly in used barriques, partly in large wooden barrels, each for 18 months. It is late and minimally sulfured before the red wine is bottled unfiltered. This special wine is sealed with a wax capsule.

Sand & Kiesel – a red wine and its values

• 100% Portugieser
• 13.0 % vol. alcohol
• 0.1 g/L residual sugar
• 5.9 g/L acidity

Organic control number – DE-ÖKO-022 German agriculture