Cool Climate Wine Summit

We showed up mid-harvest, and Bob Molling said yes anyway. Above the Luxembourg Moselle, with three countries in view, Bob tells us how he got into wine: economics, his grandfather's tractor, a harvest in South Africa, and a call from his grandmother offering him half a hectare. Five years later, Molling Wines farms 4.2 hectares and makes around 25,000 bottles a year. "No beautification. Just pure."

We talk about low intervention without dogma, the 2023 vintage (200 mm of rain and hail in September), why sustainability only works if the winery survives financially, the generation gap threatening Luxembourg's vineyards, and why Luxembourg wine deserves a bigger audience.

Interview in English.

📍 Schengen, Luxembourg Moselle, Luxembourg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction – end of harvest above the Moselle

03:08 From economics to winemaking

06:31 Influences: colleagues and South Africa

09:02 Riesling or Chardonnay – which wine is Bob?

11:04 Nature and Molling Wines

13:46 The smiley bottle: Müller-Thurgau with Gewürztraminer

16:25 Low intervention without dogma

18:53 Economic sustainability and the harvest rain

24:06 Generational change and the market

26:55 Export and five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/JxZu8klfIU0

📖 Read the full interview: https://coolclimatesummit.com/stories/bob-molling-luxembourg

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=molling&utm_content=en

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Thomas Philipps's family ran a flour mill below Burg Rheinfels for 751 years, until 2015. From 2005, he and his brother Martin brought abandoned steep vineyards on the Mittelrhein back into production, growing from 3,000 square metres to 6.8 hectares. They converted to organic farming (Ecovin) in 2021 and now plant only PIWI varieties. We talk about cover crops and humus, Roter Riesling on hot south-facing sites, and the 2024 frost.

Interview in English.

📍 St. Goar, Mittelrhein, Germany

In the glass

1. Riesling 2024

2. Burg Rheinfels Riesling 2022

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: the Mittelrhein

01:23 Introduction questions

05:30 Nature, humus and healthy soils

07:30 From a 751-year-old flour mill to a winery

10:27 PIWIs and young customers

12:56 Tasting the 2024 Riesling

15:22 Acidity, climate change and Roter Riesling

19:55 Frost, drought and the Ecovin network

22:45 Tasting the Burg Rheinfels Riesling

27:42 Five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/sq_tZRUNCck

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=philipps-muehle&utm_content=en

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We finally made it to Saxony, and we arrived mid-harvest. At 51° north, VDP. Weingut Schloß Proschwitz is one of Germany's most northerly wine estates. Head winemaker Björn Probst farms 75 hectares organically, grows Goldriesling, a variety found almost nowhere else, and believes eastern Germany's cool climate is an advantage. "The future is east."

We talk about the Olivier Humbrecht tasting that changed his direction, Saxony's 1,000-year wine history, five years of drought, and the VDP East, a group of six estates putting eastern Germany on the wine map.

Interview in English.

📍 Zadel near Meißen, Saxony, Germany

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: arriving mid-harvest

01:55 Education and influences: Humbrecht and Triebaumer

05:14 Organic certification and nature

07:33 History of Schloss Proschwitz

09:17 Goldriesling, the rarity of Saxony

12:17 Young drinkers and the VDP East

15:51 Saxony's history: the future is East

18:39 Drought, frost and water

22:31 Weißburgunder GG Schloss Proschwitz

25:44 Trade fairs and five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/sJ1tT-PH1fQ

📖 Read the article: https://coolclimatesummit.com/stories/bjorn-probst-saxony

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=proschwitz&utm_content=en

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Christian Ebert of VDP. Weingut Schloss Saarstein in Serrig on the Saar. His father bought the estate in 1956, and Christian has run it since 1990, moving to about 90% Riesling and gentler work in the cellar. We talk about balancing dry and fruity Riesling, why fruity styles dominate exports, ungrafted vines on grey slate, the small 2024 crop after frost and downy mildew, and his plan to hand over to his daughter.

Interview in English.

📍 Serrig, Saar, Germany

In the glass

1. Riesling trocken Alte Reben 2016, from ungrafted vines planted in 1943

2. Riesling Kabinett 2024

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and his father's influence

01:51 Personality as a wine and nature

03:36 History of Schloss Saarstein

06:02 From many varieties to 90% Riesling

08:04 Tasting: dry Riesling Alte Reben 2016

12:25 Ungrafted vines, grey slate and altitude

13:47 Acidity, the dry wave and export markets

17:19 Tasting: Riesling Kabinett 2024

18:48 Frost and Peronospora in 2024

21:01 Weather extremes and five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/e3-tIasvuNk

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=saarstein&utm_content=en

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On his 40th birthday, Sandro Sperk of VDP. Weingut Böhme & Töchter tells us about Saale-Unstrut, one of Germany's most northerly wine regions. If he didn't make wine, he'd build treehouses. We talk about Chardonnay on limestone, what the region inherited from the GDR, what it means to join the VDP, and the potential of Saale-Unstrut.

Interview in English.

📍 Freyburg (Unstrut), Saale-Unstrut, Germany

In the glass

1. Freyburger Chardonnay VDP. Ortswein 2023

2. Zscheiplitzer Himmelreich Spätburgunder VDP. Erste Lage 2022

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and 40th birthday

02:40 Alternative life: treehouse builder

05:17 Family estate and influences

09:05 Personality as a wine and nature

11:06 The estate and joining the VDP

12:27 Tasting: Freyburger Chardonnay VDP.Ortswein

15:17 GDR heritage and grape varieties

18:47 Potential of Saale-Unstrut and VDP membership

25:12 Tasting: Spätburgunder 2022

30:04 Copenhagen, cooperation and five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/gfieaSUe8n0

🍷 Winery: https://www.boehme-toechter.de/

📖 More about VDP. Weingut Böhme & Töchter: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen-2026/winemakers/boehme-toechter

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=boehme-toechter&utm_content=en

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Vincent Graenicher took over from his father in 2011. With his Copenhagen-born wife Astrid, he now runs three domaines with 11 hectares in Vaud. They have been certified organic since 2020, and biodynamics is next. He talks about his Chasselas "À l'origine" (natural yeast, no chaptalisation, no filtration), the very wet and hail-hit 2024 vintage, and old Chasselas selections with more acidity as a way to adapt to climate change.

Interview in English.

📍 Mont-sur-Rolle, Vaud, Switzerland

In the glass

1. Chasselas "À l'origine" 2024

2. Pinot Noir 2021

Chapters

00:00 Introduction – Vaud, Lake Geneva and Copenhagen

01:35 Chef or filmmaker: the alternative career

03:19 Influences and the role of nature

09:10 The winemaker's role in the cellar

11:35 Three domaines, organic since 2020

13:23 Chasselas origins and “À l'origine”

17:44 2024 vintage and climate adaptation

23:44 Pinot Noir 2021

28:04 Taking over from his father

29:39 Five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/_iJNXVmj0d4

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=graenicher&utm_content=en

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Stefanie Vornhecke studied biology before she became a winemaker in Senheim on the Mosel. She brings biodiversity into the vineyards: cooler soils, projects to protect species, and Ouessant sheep that keep abandoned vineyards open. They also gave their name to her "sheep wine". We taste a 2016 Riesling, get into the petrol debate, and talk about Riesling, Pinot Noir and Sauvignac.

Interview in English.

📍 Senheim, Mosel, Germany

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:57 From biology to winemaking

05:04 Personality as a dry Riesling Kabinett

06:38 Nature: biodiversity and cooler vineyard soils

10:32 The winery: Riesling, Pinot Noir and Sauvignac

12:40 Tasting a 2016 Riesling and the petrol debate

15:48 Biodiversity projects on the Mosel

20:02 Ouessant sheep and abandoned vineyards

22:17 The sheep wine and the next generation

25:24 Five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/xtrmLWEvGQc

🍷 Winery: http://www.weingut-vornhecke.de/

📖 More about Stefanie Vornhecke: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen-2026/winemakers/stefanie-vornhecke

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=vornhecke&utm_content=en

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Near the end of a Swiss tour: Cortaillod on Lake Neuchâtel, with Martin Porret of Les Vins Porret. He and his sister Sophie are the sixth generation of a family estate founded in 1858, with seven hectares, certified organic. Martin talks about leaving an IT job after one year, Neuchâtel's tradition of unfiltered Chasselas, the cold Joran wind that suits Pinot Noir, the fermentation tanks in the cellar floor in use since 1860, and organic farming that began with his father in the 1990s.

Interview in English.

📍 Cortaillod, Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland

In the glass

1. Chasselas Non-Filtré: 11.5% alcohol, part of the grapes macerated for ten days, 5,000 bottles

2. Pinot Noir Neuchâtel AOC: aged for 12 months in big barrels, with no new oak

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: the end of the Swiss tour on Lake Neuchâtel

02:23 Alternative life: the kitchen, and one year in IT

04:17 Influences: Philippe Constantin in Valais and Burgundy

06:22 Personality as a wine: the non-filtré

07:38 Nature: keeping biodiversity alive

09:05 Les Vins Porret: family estate since 1858

10:08 Tasting: Chasselas Non-Filtré

15:06 Maceration, amphora and a long finish

17:01 The Swiss young winemakers' community

18:22 Storm from the Jura and the Joran wind

20:05 Fermentation tanks in the cellar floor since 1860

21:23 Organic since the 1990s, certified since 2021

24:41 Tasting: Pinot Noir Neuchâtel AOC

28:13 Copenhagen and the next five years

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/la7SWYKR1zg

🍷 Winery: https://porretvins.ch/

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=porret&utm_content=en

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Mathilde Huf Pédeutour is a French winemaker in Malans, Graubünden. She took over Wegelin Weine and converted it to Demeter-certified biodynamic farming. We talk about a lesson from Napa Valley, working without copper in Switzerland, hail and extreme weather, the style of Graubünden Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir from the Bündner Herrschaft.

Interview in English.

📍 Malans, Graubünden, Switzerland

In the glass

1. Bothmarhalde Chardonnay AOC Graubünden 2023

2. Scadena Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) AOC Graubünden 2022

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: a French winemaker in Malans

02:30 Alternative life and a lesson from Napa Valley

06:06 Personality as a wine and nature

08:37 Taking over Wegelin and Demeter certification

10:33 Tasting: 2023 Bothmarhalde Chardonnay

17:05 Graubünden Chardonnay style and gastronomy

19:18 Demeter in Switzerland and working without copper

24:18 Hail and extreme weather

25:55 Tasting: 2022 Scadena Blauburgunder

30:42 Copenhagen and five years from now

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bboqWfbmpN8

🍷 Winery: https://weingutwegelin.ch/

📖 More about Wegelin Weine: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen-2026/winemakers/wegelin-weine

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=wegelin&utm_content=en

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In Malans, Graubünden, with Marco Lauber of Lauber Weine. Before wine, he considered becoming a pilot or a teacher. We talk about his father and Domaine Henri Cruchon, his time with Pinotage in South Africa, how altitude and cool nights shape Alpine Pinot Noir, PIWI varieties, and the rare local Completer. On the tasting table: Freisamer, a white crossing seldom seen outside Switzerland.

Interview in English.

📍 Malans, Graubünden, Switzerland

In the glass

1. Freisamer 2024

2. Pinot Noir Barrique 2023

Chapters

00:00 Introduction – Malans, Graubünden

01:08 Pilot, teacher or winemaker

02:37 Influences: his father and Domaine Henri Cruchon

05:04 Pinot Noir as personality and nature

07:40 Lauber Weine and Pinotage from South Africa

10:20 Freisamer 2024

13:57 Altitude, cool nights and farming philosophy

19:52 Tasting room, taking over, PIWIs and export

22:07 Pinot Noir Barrique 2023

27:12 Small volumes, Completer and the future

📺 Watch the video: https://youtu.be/bNnaTiJb9ms

🍷 Winery: https://www.lauber-weine.ch/

📖 More about Lauber Weine: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen-2026/winemakers/lauber-weine

🎟 Sign up for the next Cool Climate Wine Summit: https://coolclimatesummit.com/copenhagen/registration.php?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=lauber&utm_content=en

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