Establishing a brand new winery from scratch is tough, no matter where you do it. But to do it in one of Europe's ancient, heritage site wine regions is very, very tough, especially if you’re... Read More

Establishing a brand new winery from scratch is tough, no matter where you do it. But to do it in one of Europe's ancient, heritage site wine regions is very, very tough, especially if you’re not a billionaire. Yet that is exactly what Eva Fricke has accomplished on the steep slopes of Germany’s historic Rheingau region.

Eva grew up in Bremen, in Northwestern Germany near Hamburg and many hours and miles away from any wine regions. Her parents were both doctors, so there was nothing to suggest a lauded career as a grape grower and winemaker, but here we are! After spending a couple teenage summers working at wineries in South Africa and Australia she returned to Germany to study viticulture and oenology at university. After graduating she began working for the very old school estate of J.B. Becker, following that valuable experience she took up with our friend, the inimitable Rheingau icon Josi Leitz.

While still working with Josi she was able to acquire a few vines in 2006 and so her own estate was born. Fast forward 17 years and she’s now a bonafide star, organically farming 17 hectares and producing a range of wines. Riesling is the focus, of course, and that is clearly her passion. But she also makes excellent sparkling wine from a few vines of Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc.

Eva’s work in the cellar is very much in the low intervention style, but not out of desire to garner attention as “natural” wine but rather she wants to emphasize the purity of terroir and elegance that Rheingau Riesling is capable of. Bright and energetic, Eva’s wines sizzle with life but can also showcase excellent depth and complexity.