Sauvignon Blanc – 2024

Sauvignon Blanc 2024 from the Rings winery matures exclusively in steel tanks

Sauvignon Blanc 2024 from the Rings winery is a dry white wine from the Palatinate, grown on the sand, gravel, and loess soils around Freinsheim. It matures exclusively in steel tanks, features aromas of gooseberry, honeysuckle, and freshly mown grass, and carries its distinct acidity through to a long finish.

Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a dry VDP.Gutswein from the Rings winery in Freinsheim, pressed from grapes grown in organically cultivated Freinsheim vineyards. With 11.5 percent alcohol and a screw cap, this white wine is one of the winery's lighter-footed bottles, without ever appearing tame.

Gooseberry, honeysuckle, and green bell pepper

As soon as the glass is on the table, the variety announces itself with gooseberry, honeysuckle, and the scent of freshly mown grass.

Behind this lie green bell pepper and a hint of pepper—that spicy edge of Sauvignon Blanc that is often lost in warmer years. On the palate, the wine is gripping, straightforward, and mineral, carried by a striking acidity that leaves plenty of room for juicy, ripe fruit. The finish lingers long and leans more toward tart than sweet.

The soils explain why the wine never feels thin despite its sharpness. Sand, gravel, and loess warm up quickly and have poor water retention, which is why the berries remain small and concentrate their spice into a small amount of juice. Freinsheim is the warmest corner of the estate, which is exactly why the time of harvest is everything here.

Pairs with green asparagus, herb omelets, and cream cheese

A wine with this level of acidity looks for dishes that are themselves somewhat green or tart, rather than heavy sauces.

Green asparagus with vinaigrette, an herb omelet with chervil and chives, or cream cheese on sourdough bread follow the same herbaceous line as the wine. Steamed cod and a salad of young beans also find their match in this wine, as the acidity cuts through the butter on the fish and gives definition to the vegetables. Serving at eight to ten degrees Celsius is ideal; any colder and the fruit disappears behind the acidity.

Why the harvest takes place in several passes

Sauvignon Blanc ripens unevenly, and those who pick it all on a single day get either green harshness or broad ripeness, but rarely both together.

That is why the harvest team in the 2024 vintage goes through the same row multiple times, taking only the grapes that are just right at that moment. The early-harvested berries provide acidity and the herbaceous aroma, the later ones bring juice and yellow fruit, and only in the tank does this result in a complete wine. This sorting work cannot be replaced by any effort in the cellar later on.

After that, things remain calm. A portion of the grapes goes into the press unstemmed; after a short period of maceration, the vineyard's own yeasts start the fermentation naturally. The wine remains in stainless steel until bottling, which imparts nothing to it and leaves the fruit exactly as it came from the vineyard.

The Sauvignon Blanc 2023, with its portion of tonneau-aged wine, shows how the same variety behaves with a touch of wood. The rest of the selection from Freinsheim can be found in the Rings winery hub.

Sauvignon Blanc 2024 – a white wine and its technical values

• Origin Germany
• Region Palatinate
• Winery Rings
• VDP.Gutswein
• Grape variety Sauvignon Blanc
• Screw cap
• 11.5% vol alcohol
• 3.2 g/l residual sugar
• 6.8 g/l acidity

Organic control number – DE-ÖKO-022 German Agriculture