VDP.WEINGUT BERGDOLT – KLOSTERGUT ST. LAMPRECHT

VDP: What is so special about your winery?

Carolin Bergdolt: The winery has a very long tradition and has been family-owned for over 250 years. Previously it was a monastery estate, which was last managed by Dominican nuns. We are now the ninth generation of winegrowers – and with me, the winery is now being managed by a woman in the first generation again! Our speciality is Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and since the end of the 1980s we are also passionate producers of sparkling wine.

VDP: What is your winery philosophy?

Carolin Bergdolt: We focus on organic cultivation and ecological management. We live with nature and the seasons. We work as a team and a family business. The harmonious overall concept is very important to us.

VDP: For what wine style do you strive?

Carolin Bergdolt: Puristic, straightforward wines with character. Our Burgundian varieties usually contain less than 1 gram per litre of residual sugar. Our wines are not flattering fruit bombs, but rather reserved in their youth. They need time to develop and evolve.

VDP: Do you have a favourite grape variety?

Carolin Bergdolt: The entire family of Burgundian varieties.

VDP: Which of your wines would you recommend to someone who doesn't yet know your winery – as an introduction, so to speak?

Carolin Bergdolt: Our sparkling wines, especially Fluxus Extra Brut, which matures on the yeast for at least five years.

VDP: Of which wine are you particularly proud?

Carolin Bergdolt: Of our matured Weissburgunder VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS® wines.

VDP: Why did you become a vintner?

Carolin Bergdolt: As a teenager, I had no interest at all in the winemaking profession and wanted to get out into the world first. As a daughter, it wasn’t as natural as it would have been for a son to join the company. Then, in the course of my ‘wander years’, my interest in the winemaking profession evolved. Since my graduation from Geisenheim in 2007, I have been working in the winery.

VDP: What are your next goals?

Carolin Bergdolt: Even more focus on precision in our wine style.

VDP: How do you combine tradition and innovation?

Carolin Bergdolt: Tradition is a valuable foundation that runs deep to our roots. You can learn from tradition and take a lot of good with you, but you should not stubbornly adhere to it. Life is constantly in motion and it is important to remain open to new things.

VDP: Why should people visit your vineyard?

Carolin Bergdolt: We have a very beautiful inner courtyard where our summer farm festival takes place every two years in July.