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German winegrowing pioneer Michael Graf Adelmann died shortly before Christmas after a serious illness at the age of 76. He took over the Graf Adelmann *** winery in the fourth generation at Schaubeck Castle (pictured) in the Württemberg town of Kleinbottwar in 1978. The castle lords' viticulture dates back to 1297. Count Adelmann implemented many innovations: In 1986, for example, he and like-minded people founded the "New Oak Barrel Study Group" (Hades), which has since been working on the ageing process in barrique barrels, which was new in Germany at the time. At the end of the 1980s, he was already experimenting with half-barrels and fermenting Riesling in them. It was only decades later that young winemakers took up this method. In 1989, he produced the first cuvée in Germany and was also a co-founder of the German Barrique Forum.
Michael Graf Adelmann was chairman of the VDP Württemberg from 1985 to 1992 and deputy chairman of the federal VDP until 2012. This year, he handed over the winery to his son Felix.
(al / Source: Stuttgart News)