Dear friends of Tschäpperli wines

After a two-year conversion period, our winery is now fully Knospe organic certified as of 1 January 2023. We are very pleased to report this news.

Compared to 2021, the wine year 2022 was very dry and warm, with an above-average number of hours of sunshine. From the beginning of January to the end of March, 50 millimetres of precipitation were measured, a third of the usual amount. The vines sprouted early in 2022. On 4 April, we narrowly escaped major frost damage.

After that, the vines developed very nicely and quickly. The first grape vine blossoms emerged already at the beginning of June. Thanks to the good weather, the blossoms developed optimally until mid-June. On the occasion of the annual vintners festival (Rebsonntag) on 26 June, the vines were in full splendour. The initial leaf work was completed. On the night of 27 June, the Klus was hit by a heavy thunderstorm with hail. The vines in the Tschäpperli suffered between 5% and 30% hail damage, while lower down in the Klus the damage was up to 80%. Thanks to the dry and very beautiful summer, any follow-up damage from diseases on the injured vines was negligible. Due to the weather, the use of plant protection products was also minimal.

On the other hand, the drought was particularly hard on the younger vines. We had to irrigate them up to three times in some cases. More extreme weather events will continue to be a challenge for us going forward. Relatively cool temperatures at night promoted good aroma development from the end of July, and the acidity remained stable. However, the dryness significantly delayed the ripening of the grapes. Thus, the initial harvest started only on 12 September. On 5 October, we were able to finish the 2022 harvest of the Riesling grapes.

The uniformly ripe, small-berried grapes produced a must that was rich in aroma and extract with moderate sugar content and a good acid structure. Due to hail and drought, the grape volume was about 15% to 20% below average. The 2022 vintage looks promising. White wines and rosé are developing into aromatic, elegant, well-structured wines with a moderate alcohol content. The red wines are maturing into fruit-intensive, powerful wines with elegant tannins and a good acid structure.

As with many other businesses, we are also feeling the impact of considerable price increases in the means of production, especially for bottles and packaging material. As a result, we will be forced to adjust the prices for our wines.

As every year, we invite you to tastings on the Open Wine Cellar Day, Rebensonntag and the Ruinenbeizli. In 2023, concerts, theatre and readings await you in the Upper Tschäpperli under the motto “A Summer in Tschäpperli.”

The description of the individual wines (Shop) and the calendar of events (News) can be found on our website.

In April 2023

Ulrich and Barbara Bänninger-Zurflüh

Damian von Blarer, Steffi Wirth and Dieter von Blarer