Scheurebe is the most successful grape crossing for fine wine to come out of Germany, with almost all of the country’s leading producers now making their own versions. Created by Dr. Georf Scheu, a professor at the viticulture school in Geisenheim, Rheinhessen, in the early 20th century with the intention of breeding a grape that would be particularly suited to that region’s climate and soils, it is now grown all over Germany, Austria and even a little bit in the US. This version of Scheurebe comes from Katharina Wechsler who grew-up in a wine growing family, and watching her parents struggle when Rheinhessen was a more quantity- than quality-minded region she had no intention to carry on the family business. During her teens and early twenties, however, she got to see first hand how some talented neighbors transformed their own family’s winery from producers of bulk wine into true cult wine producers, all while focussing on biodynamic farming. She also saw Rheinhessen in general quickly transform into the hottest region in Germany, with limestone soils that make wines with a very different texture compared to the slate soils of the Mosel, and with an added level of acidity that is an asset in the context of climate change. She left home after high school to live and study for a few years in Paris and Berlin but soon decided to return home to study viticulture at nearby Geisenheim University, graduating in 2012. Now certified organic in her farming and with more than a dozen vintages under her belt, Katharina has put her family’s winery on the map. This wine is stunning, with a freshness and invigorating mouthfeel, and flavors of lanolin, green, spicy melon, yellow grapefruit and pineapple core, with a chalky aroma and texture. This will stand up well to intensely spiced dishes like curry.