Little Brother – Red Wine 2021

Organic Red Wine Cuvée Kleiner Bruder from Weingut Karl May

The 2021 Kleiner Bruder from Weingut Karl May is a quaffable organic red wine cuvée from Rheinhessen, made from Dornfelder, Regent, and St. Laurent. Juicy, fruit-forward, and velvety soft. The perfect patio wine, a delight when served slightly chilled.

Kleiner Bruder 2021 is a dry organic red wine cuvée from the Karl May winery in Rheinhessen, pressed from Dornfelder, Regent, and St. Laurent. It has a bouquet of red fruits and herbal spice, with a juicy and velvety-smooth taste. The youngest member of the Karl May family band and an uncomplicated companion throughout the summer. Its name is a playful nod to the other siblings in the range, because at Karl May, wines have character and a name.

Ripe cherry, red currant, herbal spice

On the nose, there are red fruits, ripe cherry, and tart red currant, accompanied by a fine herbal spice that invites another sip.

On the palate, the cuvée is juicy, fruit-forward, and velvety soft, with a medium body, good acidity balance, and moderate alcohol. With 12.5 percent alcohol and only 0.8 grams of residual sugar, it remains dry and quaffable. A red wine that doesn't sit heavily in the glass, but makes you crave the next pour, without any great fuss. The three grape varieties complement each other well: the Dornfelder provides color and fruit, the Regent a touch of spice, and the St. Laurent, that velvety softness.

With pizza, with pasta, with anything from the grill

The Kleiner Bruder is the perfect patio wine; in summer, it is also a delight when served slightly chilled.

It is an uncomplicated companion to pizza, pasta with tomato sauce, or anything from the grill, and it was made specifically for such gatherings.

It is also a joy with a snack platter of salami and cheese, or simply for winding down on the balcony after work. Serve it at around 14 degrees Celsius, and it will show its full freshness—a real plus on warm evenings. Served slightly chilled like this, the red wine becomes almost a summer wine that doesn't overwhelm anyone. Stronger and spicier is the Blutsbruder Rot from Weingut Karl May, the older brother of the family.

Ten days of maceration and stainless steel at the May family estate

The grapes for the cuvée grow in various vineyards on sandy loess-loam, farmed organically.

To ensure they ripen well, Fritz and Peter May prune early, defoliate the grape zone for more sun, and reduce yields with a green harvest. Harvesting is done early and selectively by hand, often in multiple passes. After ten days of maceration, the grapes are gently pressed and the must is fermented spontaneously.

The cuvée is aged in stainless steel tanks, which preserves its fresh, fruity character entirely without oak, ensuring the red fruit remains in the foreground. The May family has been making wine for seven generations since 1815, on about 35 hectares between Bechtheim, Westhofen, and Osthofen, and the Kleiner Bruder shows that even an uncomplicated wine can be crafted with care and be great fun. You can find more in the range from Weingut Karl May and among our German red wines. The rest of the family band can be found right there next to the Kleiner Bruder.

Kleiner Bruder – a wine and its values

• Origin: Wine from Germany
• Region: Rheinhessen
• Winery: Karl May - Fritz and Peter
• Vintage: 2021
• Grape varieties: Dornfelder, Regent, St. Laurent
• Screw cap
• 12.5% vol. alcohol
• 5.2 g/l acidity
• 0.8 g/l residual sugar

Organic inspection body DE-ÖKO-039 – German Agriculture