German
Moritz Kissinger-Bähr is part of the young generation of winemakers who have been making quite a splash in Germany for the past few years. This is thanks not only to the imaginative young winemaker, but also to his father, who made it possible for Moritz to get involved in and experiment with the established family business in the first place. Since the 2024 vintage, Moritz’s wife, Jasmin, has been fully integrated into the winery. Following their wedding, the winery was renamed “Kissinger-Bähr." Together, they were able to acquire first-class plots in 2024 in prestigious vineyards such as Niersteiner Pettenthal and Hipping. Moritz and Jasmin aren’t interested in throwing all principles out the window; rather, they aim to return to tradition—moving away from industrial and highly technical methods toward greater naturalness and individuality. The Kissinger-Bähr winery is located in Uelversheim, in the heart of Rheinhessen, in a corner that still flies under the radar. Moritz wants to use the exciting terroir—with its limestone-rich subsoil—to change that.
Außerhalb 13
55278 Uelversheim, Germany
Phone +49 6249 7969
With the 2018 vintage, Moritz bottled his very first wine—while he was still a student—and it was just a single barrel of Chardonnay. Yet this austere and vibrant Chardonnay was enough to draw our attention—and that of many others—to the young winemaker and leave a lasting impression. While his style in the early vintages was, on the whole, still somewhat bolder, more playful, and more reductive, Moritz has shown significant evolution in subsequent vintages. At the latest with the arrival of his wife Jasmin and the name change to Kissinger-Bähr, the wines have become noticeably more mature. The style is calmer, more restrained, and even more focused on the terroir, which is wonderfully evident when comparing the Riesling from the limestone-rich Dienheimer Kreuz with those from Hipping and Pettenthal. In the meantime, the range and, fortunately, the volume has grown somewhat. For several years now, Moritz and his father have been replanting vineyards, with a particular focus on the Burgundy varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir. “Null Ohm” is the name of the juicy and approachable entry-level wines, which are bottled as a cuvée; above that are the single-varietal wines of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and, coming soon, a Pinot Noir. Moritz is also passionate about sparkling wine, which comes as no surprise given his stints at Raumland, in England, and in Champagne.
The vineyards were already farmed organically his fahter; now the two of them are taking it a step further and working biodynamically in the vineyard. Moritz’s wines undergo spontaneous fermentation, and the majority are aged in used wooden barrels. For Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, he occasionally uses a new barrel, and the red “Null Ohm” is partially aged in stainless steel tanks; however, oxygen-rich aging in wood is an essential part of his winemaking process. This makes the wines more stable, allowing him to bottle them without filtration and with only a small amount of sulfur added. Yes, these are natural wines, but with a wonderfully uncomplicated character, plenty of charm, and a straightforward structure.