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The winegrower Thomas Siegrist, founder of the vineyard of the same name in Leinsweiler in the Southern Palatinate, has died at the age of 73. Together with his wife Gisela, he said goodbye to the typical mixed business early on and focused only on wine as early as 1974. Origin and character were the cornerstones of his wine philosophy. To this end, the visionary Siegrist introduced barriques in his cellar at a time when this was still frowned upon in the German wine community. Although he was initially labelled a "rebel" by colleagues and his wines were punished by the wine inspectorate, he remained true to his vision and founded the German Barrique Forum with other winemakers in 1991. Today, the business is run by his daughter Kerstin and son-in-law Bruno Schimpf.
The VDP bid farewell to its long-standing member with the words: "As a winemaker with heart and soul, Thomas Siegrist has shaped viticulture in the Palatinate and contributed a lot to the reputation of the Palatinate today. His unconventional ideas and his courage to implement them were impressive. His human, empathetic and balancing manner will be missed by his colleagues, as will his intelligent, pointed humour."