Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
The Fritz Müller story began in 2009 with the idea to breathe new life into a traditional German grape variety which had been pushed out of the public eye: Müller-Thurgau.
Which came when Herr Müller from Thurgau was growing this grape in the Rheingau region back in 1882, nobody had the slightest idea of just how insidiously this variety would later stab German winemaking in the back. Adapted to the local climate, the Müller-Thurgau matures quickly and produces refreshing wines every year, even when other more sun-loving varieties did not receive enough sun. With its reliably good flavor, the Müller-Thurgau quickly spread throughout the country – even topping the Riesling variety in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, however, things started going downhill for the Müller. Many winemakers took advantage of the fact that the grape can produce high-yield harvests and peddled the variety off as inferior bulk wine. The world was flooded with cheap German Müller-Thurgau wines and blends thereof. "Characterless, dreadful, superfluous!" cried the wine experts. The reputation of German wine was thus completely ruined and Müller-Thurgau ended up at the top of the list of scorned varieties.
In Northern Italy, things went differently: There, instead of inferior Müller, there was inferior Prosecco. Thanks to the high-quality wines that winemakers in South Tyrol and Trentino have been producing from Müller-Thurgau grapes since the 1980s, the German variety was able to eke out a comfortable exile in bella Italia. The sparkling variations of the refreshing Müller wines are especially well received. And since the triumphant success of the "Spritz" at the very latest, the Italians even consider "Muller frizzante" to be pretty cool indeed.
Even though frowned upon and banned from most wine labels - there is still enough Müller-Thurgau in Germany, especially in Rhinehessen. And Rhinehessen is also where our favorite winemaker, Jürgen Hofmann, happens to live. He and his wine friends, who grow the grapes for Fritz, really understand winemaking. Which is why they can identify with the good-old days of Müller Thurgau today, and are thus able – once again – to create a fresh, fruity, exhilarating wine that makes people happy. The important thing in the making thereof, is that only good grapes end up in a bottle of Fritz. Because only when ripe and healthy grapes are used, can Fritz naturally taste so fruity and vibrant as it does. And the bubbles that it receives on top of all that, make it even fresher. Fritz is not intended to be a semi-sparkling wine for the masses, but it should please everyone. Everyone, that is, who wants not only to philosophically sniff the glass in their hand, but would sometimes rather just drink from it – only without the headache, and without an empty wallet the morning after.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.