Wine With Jimmy, 71 Townmead Road Fulham, London, London (2026)

24/03/2026

🇺🇸 I chat to Andrew Rockwell, winemaker at vineyards and winery about traditional method sparkling production in New York’s Long Island. We discuss the advantages of Long Island grapegrowing.

🥂Nestled in the heart of Long Island’s North Fork, Sparkling Pointe has firmly established itself as a premier producer of méthode champenoise sparkling wines. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, the winery has grown from a modest 12 acre/4.9 hectare vineyard to an iconic destination for wine enthusiasts seeking the very best in American sparkling wine.

🥂Founded in 2004 by Tom and Cynthia Rosicki, Sparkling Pointe was born out of the couple’s shared passion for the magic and romance of champagne. Their commitment to traditional winemaking methods led to them to hire Gilles Martin, a French-born winemaker with a deep-rooted passion for sparkling wine. With over 30 years of international winemaking experience paired with the unique terroir of Long Island, he has propelled Sparkling Pointe into the spotlight as a leader in U.S. sparkling wine production.

🏡 Sparkling Pointe’s Grand Tasting House offers visitors a luxurious, French-Château-inspired setting to experience their sparkling wines. And look out for the Carnival-inspired artwork (Andrew’s backdrop) 🇧🇷

✅ Full interview on the Wine With Jimmy page

18/03/2026

👀Another peek from my ‘Mastering Germany’ series available on the Wine With Jimmy Club (monthly subscription service £3.99/month).

The soils of German grapegrowing:

🪨Sedimentary Rocks
Most of the world’s vineyard areas are on sedimentary bedrock. Sedimentary rocks are formed from water or wind deposits.

Shale (Schiefer which is also the German word for Slate and schist) is the most abundant sedimentary rock, is very fine-grained and tends to split or break into rough sheets or plates. It is composed of mud and fine silt deposited in finely alternating layers.

Kalk (Limestone)
Limestone is composed primarily of calcium carbonate. It can be formed as a chemical precipitate, from fresh or sea water, but more commonly results from the accumulation of volumes of calcite-bearing fragments of plankton, shells, corals and other marine organisms. Muschelkalk (shell limestone) are fossiliferous limestones and related rocks. Picture with

Keuper (Marls/Mudstone)
This is a clay and limestone mixture, with a variation in Germany called ‘Gipskeuper’ which is gypsum-marl. Famed in parts of Franken.

Sandstein (sandstone)
Sandstone is composed of sand-sized particles, commonly quartz and is common in Germany. Its durable and porous, and thus water retentive. In the Ahr, Graywacke (Grauwacke) a gray sandstone, dominates. Grauwacke is dark gray in color and consists of a mix of coarse particles (typically quartz, feldspar) with a high proportion of clay. It weathers into heat-retaining, well-draining soils. In parts of Franken and the Pfalz, Buntsandstein, a medium- to coarse-grained colored sandstone plays a major role. There is Roter Buntsandstein (red) which is higher in iron-oxide and Gelber Buntsandstein (yellow) where the water has leached out the iron.

Loess
Loess is formed from fine, wind-born deposits, typically silts and clays. It dominates many top soils.

🪨Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic rocks form from pre-existing igneous or sedimentary rocks that are subjected to heat and pressure while buried below the Earth’s surface…

✅Further video-tutored information on the Wine With Jimmy Club.

17/03/2026

This is the second part of my feature on the wines of the Nierstein district in the Rheinhessen, featuring the wines of the ‘Roter Hang’ (Red Slope) with villages here such as Nackenheim and Oppenheim. Here I discuss the unique geology that has carved out an identity in the mineral-laden ‘peppery’ spice Rieslings that are famed from the area. They are concentrated but bright, with excellent ageing capacity. This geology is the red sandstone/slate which is symbolic of the steep slopes that cut a dramatic gradient down to the Rhine river.

Rotliegendes soils
Rotliegendes is a distinct, iron-oxide-rich red slate derived from sandstone. It is found mostly in the Rheinhessen in the Roter Hang, in Bingen in the north-west of the region and on the borders of the Nahe (it is also found in Nahe and Pfalz). It offers shallow to medium depth, it is lime-rich, stony and calcareous, clayey loam soil, with low water-storage capacity but decent heat conductivity.

Village: Nackenheim
Nackenheim is the northernmost village of the Roter Hang (north of Nierstein) and where the signature ‘rotliegendes’ starts.

Vineyard: Rothenberg
A top steep site with E and SE exposures, this vineyard profits from day-long sun, intensified by the reflectivity of the Rhine. Riesling is the star.

Village: Oppenheim
This is not directly on the Rhine and south of Nierstein, and with higher proportions of limestone in their soils and a wind-sheltered position buffered by the village itself.

Vineyard: Kreuz
This is sited on loess soils and limestone marls. It faces SE on a gentle incline and is well-ventilated, helping to keep the wines grown here fresh with good tension. Spätburgunder predominates.

Vineyard: Sackträger
Both Riesling and Spätburgunder thrive here on a moderately steep site with loam-marl notable for its warmth.

Vineyard: Herrenberg
This is a broad, gently sloped crescent of vines opening to the east and southeast. Soils are clay-rich calcareous marl. Riesling, Weißburgunder, Silvaner and Grauburgunder are planted here.

Have you ever tasted wines from these villages or single vineyards?

16/03/2026

The Rheinhessen is the geographical heart of German wine country. In the past it has been often toted with only producing bulk wine, but in the contemporary it is a hot-bed for innovative and creative wine producers. It is Germanys largest wine region. Nearly a third of all German wine is produced here with 27,312 ha/67,489 ac of vines.

The Rhine River is the region’s major topography. It forms a long, curving northern and eastern boundary. The Roter Hang (Red Slope) is a steep embankment of vineyards directly on the river in the east around Nierstein, and is studded with other villages and vineyards revered by Riesling drinkers worldwide. This is my focus in this post:

The Roter Hang
Rotliegendes (red sandstone) surfaces in the extreme southwest of Rheinhessen and in and around Nierstein where it is the main soil type in the Roter Hang.

Village: Nierstein
Nierstein was long the most famous village in Rheinhessen, though tarnished by the 1971 German Wine Law fall-out with Niersteiner (simple semi-sweet wine like Liebfraumilch)

Vineyard: Pettenthal
This is a famous site on E/SE-facing slope, climbing from the river and becoming steeper with height. Rieslings can display aromatic complexity, with a charming reductive note.

Vineyard: Hipping
South from Pettenthal and is wider sloping steeply toward the Rhine. Moderated by the Rhine and with weathered rotliegendes soils and E-SE exposures produce more concentration, breadth and structure.

Vineyard: Ölberg (there are many Ölbergs - be aware!)
A steep site facing south, angling slightly away from the river as it bends inland. Deep Rotliegendes soils yield rounded, age-worthy Rieslings and Silvaner.

Vineyard: Glöck
An old-timer vineyard of an is ancient clos (walled vineyard) with 1,300+ years of history. It is a monopole of the state domain, Staatliche Weinbaudomäne Oppenheim - Riesling and Spätburgunder are cultivated here - but are fruitier examples due to the loess-loamy soils.

Vineyard: Orbel
This is the Roter Hang inland due to the signature rotliegendes soils, but slightly cooler with brighter Rieslings.

german

15/03/2026

Franken is geologically and geographically diverse.
Its vineyards (6,171 ha/15,429 ac) are scattered over a large area, an echo of when grapegrowing was more widely spread. Culturally, the region is anchored by the splendid regional capital of Würzburg.

The Steigerwald is Franken’s easternmost grapegrowing district. The etymology is from steigen (to step up or climb) and Wald (forest). Layers of Keuper (marl) or its variant, Gipskeuper (gypsum marl) rise from fertile but windswept plains to form the impressive peak of the Schwanberg (1,474 m/ 555 ft). Here vines climb to a height of almost 400 m/1,312 ft, the highest in Franken. The reason vines can thrive here in an open expanse with continental extremes is two-fold: the warm Keuper soils and high hills with sheltering forests.

Village: Rödelsee is home to some of the region’s most historic and acclaimed vineyards. Schwanberg, is located here. Silvaner and Riesling thrive on its slopes.

Vineyard: Schwanleite is a high, cool, west-/ southwest-facing vineyard on Gispkeuper soils that can give slender wines of remarkable tension and finesse. Featuring .melber

Vineyard: Küchenmeister is the jewel in Rödelsee’s crown. Soils are a particularly complex mix of Gipskeuper, Schilfsandstein, dolomite and clay, which growers credit for the layers of aroma, flavor and texture in the Silvaner and Riesling grown here.

Vineyard within Küchenmeister: Hoheleite (high path) is prized for its coolness. Silvaner and Riesling are the lead varieties. Featuring

Village: Iphofen is a beautiful walled village anchored by historic wine estates and surrounded by plains and vines. It was established as an outpost of the powerful diocese in Würzburg.

Vineyard: Julius-Echter-Berg is named for the powerful archbishop who established the Juliusspital in 1576. It is a Franken flagship vineyard. Its majestic slope, southern exposition and soft Keuper soils are ideal for Silvaner wines of density and refinement. Featuring

Other vineyards; Kalb, Kronsberg, Kammer. Featuring the wonderful .hans.wirsching

14/03/2026

The core of the Rheingau is the nearly contiguous vineyard area that lines the northern bank of the Rhine River, where the river’s northerly course is interrupted by the Taunus Mountains. This is Wiesbaden (city) in the east to Rüdesheim (village) in the west.

But then the Rhine river can flow north again as it passes Bingen and Rüdesheim, and here in the far west Rheingau, bordering the Mittelrhein region, we find a less discovered grapegrowing landscape in Assmannshausen and Lorch (yellow starred sites are most important)

Village: Assmannshausen
For most of the 20th century, Assmannshausen produced the best-known German red wine.

Vineyard: Höllenberg ⭐️
Höllenberg is iconic for Spätburgunder, with black grapes planted here since the 15th century. The V-shaped steep site capitalises on exposures to the south. Deep slate and mica schist soils with quartzite and loam drain rapidly and warm easily. This, plus proximity to the Rhine, creates a particularly warm location. Wines are structured, intense, earthy and spicy with dark berry and cherry notes. Featured wine

Village: Lorch
Lorch sits at a high, cool, windswept remove from the rest of the Rheingau. It prospered due to shipping but in the past century it has faded from the map of top Rheingau villages. Thanks to the efforts of a few committed producers such as Lorch has reclaimed its glory and, in the throws of climate chaos, perhaps even surpassed other more established villages.

Vineyard: Kapellenberg ⭐️
This faces south-southwest on weathered slate soils. Its proximity to both forest and river creates a specific climate. Recent vintages have yielded wonderful TBAs that have helped put Lorch firmly back on the Riesling map. featured.

Other sites; Krone, Pfaffenwies, Schlossberg and Seligmacher in Lorchhausen. Wines featured

13/03/2026

Key white grape varieties of Pfalz as featured on my ‘Mastering Germany’ series on the Wine With Jimmy Club. Just £3.99 a month gets you tonnes of exclusive content.

Riesling (25.2%)
Riesling has been documented in the Pfalz since the 16th century. They tend to be dry and typified by rounded stone or tropical fruit and citric and herbaceous notes, along with breadth and a textural dimension that make them more akin to styles in Rheinhessen than in the Mosel or Nahe. Wine featured Pechstein GG.

Grauburgunder (9.4%)
Grauburgunder has been planted in the Pfalz since the 18C. It is particularly well suited to the calcareous soils of the southern Pfalz. It can be made in the easy-drinking style that has vaulted this grape to popularity throughout Germany. However, the Pfalz has also established a reputation for full-bodied, structured Grauburgunder with integrated oak and good aging potential. Skin-fermented styles have gained importance in recent years. Featured wine from

Weißburgunder (6.3%)
Plantings of this variety have dramatically increased in the Pfalz since the 1990s. This subtle, sometime overlooked variety has become something of a star of the region. It can be made in a fresh, light style or a more extract-rich, complex, structured expression with serious aging potential. Featured bottle from (the Kalmit is superb)

Chardonnay (4.1%)
This is such an exciting grape variety for the Pfalz. There are a range of styles from steel/oak/cement fermented/aged, and varying levels of reduction. Chardonnay on limestone is tremendous, and great value-for-money.

Sauvignon Blanc (3.3%)
this aromatic variety was admitted to the register of permitted varieties in Germany in 2001, vineyard area has increased significantly. Today, the Pfalz is home to the largest Sauvignon Blanc vineyard area in Germany, with more than 40% (770 ha/1,903 ac) of the countrywide total. It is typically made in either a fresh, aromatic or a more structured, ageable and possibly fumé style. Is .winning style perhaps the best?

Swipe to the end. Rieslaner. What aromas/flavours have you experienced on this cross?

04/03/2026

🤷🏻‍♂️Ever heard of ‘flurbereinigung?’

This is the German word best translated as ‘land consolidation’ and for grapegrowing it would refer to the restructuring of the vineyard landscape. This in theory is to correct the extremely fragmented viticultural landscape in order to produce a more economically manageable structure (more easily accessible sites, better economies of scale). This was proposed in the nineteenth century, but only adopted on a small scale until the 1920s where it ramped up, and then significantly after WWII. 📸1 shows a diagram on how this would pratically occur (a before-and-after).

Flurbereinigung in the Kaiserstuhl (Baden)

The appearance, character and landscape of the volcanic Kaiserstuhl underwent a gigantic process of change in the 1970s. This was the most dramatic change of land restructuring anywhere in Germany. Small, difficult-to-manage and old terraces and loess sunken walking paths had prevailed for centuries but flurbereinigung meant that the Kaiserstuhl was transformed into a mountain with large terraces for more viable viticulture (see the old fascinating pictures 📸2 and 📸3) The reason for this was the improvement of economic processes, i.e. the reduction of working hours and the increase in productivity. Thanks to the large terraces, it was now possible to use larger machines and reduce working time by more than half. There are positive reports too of the flora and fauna gained in these new terraces.

Some argue that the large freshly carved terraces hurt the Kaiserstuhl winegrower’s soul, and eradicated scattered old vineyards that were a connection to the past.

Initially this must have seemed like an enormous project. But you can clearly see the quality that is now enabled from the Kaiserstuhl as one of Germany’s leading regions especially for Spätburgunder that accounts for 33% of the total vineyard area.

Did you know of this process? Do you know of anywhere else in Germany it has been enacted?

This is a post in preparation for the forthcoming German Wine Scholar being launched at West London Wine School.

26/02/2026

🇩🇪 Key German wine peeps 🇩🇪

Raumland Family (Rheinhessen)

The Raumland family of Sekthaus Raumland in Flörsheim-Dalsheim has led the revival of high-quality German sparkling wines by focusing on Champagne varieties and traditional methods. Founded in 1984 by Volker Raumland, Sekthaus Raumland solely focusses on selt and has gradually expanded its line of sparkling wines from nonalcoholic carbonated Secco to grande reserve: traditional method sparkling wines that see up to 15 years on the lees.

Volker Raumland is the one who dared to start a new “quality revolution” in German Sparkling Wine. The two daughters Marie-Luise and Katharina are joining the family estate in 2020, continuing with the same passion and love for high-quality German sparkling wine that their parents had and still have.

They have 10ha in total with key sites such as Dalsheimer Bürgel and Hohen Sülzer Kirchenstück. They are 100% organic-certified and the vineyards consist of 39% Pinot Noir, 39% Chardonnay, 10% Riesling, 9% Pinot Blanc and 3% Pinot Meunier.

Raumland also makes Sekts for other growers using those producers’ base wines. They were the first Sekt-focused producer admitted to the VDP .diepraedikatsweingueter (in 2020).

In preparation for the launch of the German Wine Scholar at school. Due to launch soon for a start date in April 2026.

24/02/2026

Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen (Ahr) (1818-1888)

Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen famously stated “What one cannot do alone, many can.” He was a social reformer that established the first credit union to aid rural farmers. His groundbreaking philosophies enabled the first wine cooperative, the Mayschoß-Altenahr wine cooperative to be founded in 1868 from 18 winemakers. Today it has access to a vineyard area of 150 hectares and has grown to 440+ members, but is one of the smaller cooperatives in Germany. Following shortly after was the establishment of The Ahrweiler Winegrowers’ Association (today Ahrweiler Winzer-Verein ) in 1874. What began with 51 winegrowers developed over a century and a half into a permanent fixture in German viticulture.

Today, there are around 150 winegrowers’ cooperatives in Germany, which account for about a third of the total vineyard area as well as one third of Germany’s total production. Especially in Württemberg, this concept strongly shapes the wine landscape. Not surprising, considering that here the individual winemakers often do not even have one hectare of vineyard. If you still think about the challenge of the typical Württemberg steep slopes, it quickly becomes clear that making money is not the top priority. Rather, it is about the passion of the people, the preservation of the unique Württemberg cultural landscape and of course about the quality of the glass.

Other German cooperatives to note:

Moselland eG Winzergenossenschaft (Mosel)
Badische Winzerkeller (Baden)
Alde Gott (Baden)
Cleebronn & Güglingen (Württemberg)
DIVINO Nordheim (Franken)
Die Weinmacher Niederkirchen (Pfalz)
Winzerverein Deidesheim winzerverein.deidesheim (Pfalz)

Are there any other cooperatives you’d add to this list? (Such as Weinsberg which is possibly the oldest in Germany?)

22/02/2026

🇩🇪 Key German wine peeps 🇩🇪

Adam Henkell (Rheinhessen)freixenet

The mid-19th century brought a sparkling revolution to Mainz. In 1832, Adam Henkell (1801-1866 📸1) founded what is today Henkell & Co Sektkellerei KG.

In 1856, the company launched its first sparkling wine (📸2) , quickly establishing itself as a German market leader and an export success. His grandson Otto (1869-1929) achieved the breakthrough on the national and international market with the first branded sparkling wine – Henkell Trocken (which becomes trademarked 📸4) at the end of the 19th century. Otto Henkell’s knowledge of the importance of branded items (which he acquired abroad) led to the creation of Henkell Trocken and the beginning of advertising of Henkell Trocken (📸3).

In 1935, Henkel introduced the innovative 200-ml/6.8 fl oz “Pikkolo” bottle size (📸5) driving accessibility and popularity. Otto Henkell II (📸6) who took the helm in 1945, was not only able to revive the company but also established the Henkell brand as a generic term for German sparkling wine. In the 1960s, Henkel shifted to high-volume tank-fermented Sekt from grapes sourced far and wide to keep up with demand.

Henkell introduced a premium range ‘Adam Henkell’ in 1979 in ode to the namesake and this range went through a significant rebrand in 2022 (📸7) Henkell remains a major player in the category and has since sold more than 1 billion bottles of its Sekt as of 2014. Henkell merged with Spanish cava producer Freixenet S.A. in 2018, forming the joint entity Henkell Freixenet.

20/02/2026

🇩🇪 Key German wine peeps 🇩🇪

Bernhard Breuer of (1957-2004)

It is impossible to overstate the impact producer Bernhard Breuer had on the evolution of the Rheingau, and German wine. His ideas have gone from unfathomable to enshrined in German wine law. The most important of these was that of origins, or terroir: distinguishing and reviving the distinctive identities of the Rheingau’s single vineyards, based on historic classification maps and expressed through dry wines. He was one of the founding members in 1984 of CHARTA, an association of Rheingau estates committed to promoting top-quality dry Riesling. CHARTA eventually merged with the larger, more established VDP-Rheingau association in 1999. He also sought to simplify German labels for the consumer, using only the names of the best sites.

The estate dates from 1880, when it was founded by the wine-shipping company Scholl and Hillebrand. In the early 1900s, Peter Breuer took over the company; his son, Georg, later expanded the business and became the sole owner. When he died in 1978, the business passed on to his sons Bernhard and Heinrich. Under Bernhard’s guidance, it grew from 8ha to 25ha, including parcels in the top-quality steep grand cru sites of Berg Schlossberg (with an artist label since 1980) Berg Roseneck and Berg Rottland in Rüdesheim and Nonnenberg in Rauenthal. Sadly Bernhard passed away at the age of 57. Today, his daughter Theresa Breuer runs the estate and it now spans over 40ha including an expansion into Lorch the most westerly village after Assmanhausen. 65% of their vineyards are on steep slopes.

Have you had the pleasure of enjoying a Georg Breuer wine? They believe in accessibility to their products so you can easily find their estate wines under £20/$25, and they produce sekt too (German sparkling wine).

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