91 bonvinitas points: 2022 Lemberger and Muskattrollinger Rosé in THE BOTTLE

93 bonvinitas points: 2023 Riesling and Muscat in THE BOTTLE

Qualitaetswein Wuerttemberg, 10%, Weingaertner Cleebronn & Guelingen: Fresh and beguiling scent with notes of orange peel, quince jelly and a hint of baked apples; on the palate luxuriantly accompanied by fruit and glaze subtly nutty; caressing finish with notes of grape cake; nice with smoked ham, Asian cuisine or couscous.

The Weingaertner (winegrowers) Cleebronn & Gueglingen

Sankt Michaelsberg, the landmark of Cleebronn

THE BOTTLE

280 members cultivate 300 hectares of vines in the villages’ townships of Cleebronn, Gueglingen, Pfaffenhofen and Zaberfeld in the so-called Zabergaeu, which lies between Heilbronn and Stuttgart a little west of the river Neckar in the direction to Karlsruhe. The vines grow on soils of gypsum keuper, coloured marl and reed sandstone. The landmark is St. Michael's Church high on the vineyard near Cleebronn with the former monastery, which today serves as the Catholic youth and conference centre of the Diocese of Rottenburg.

And the winegrowers are among the pioneers of the new 0.75 l reusable wine bottle THE BOTTLE, which was presented in spring 2024 by "Weinheimat Wuerttemberg", a cooperation of Wuerttemberg winegrowers' cooperatives, as a novelty to reduce mountains of glass waste. The bottle can be refilled up to approx. 50 times. Recently, the winegrowers Cleebronn & Güglingen even won the German Brand Award in the category "Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation Brand Design – Packaging."

Text: Dieter Simon, publisher and editor in chief of bonvinitas. header: bonvinitas; photos: PR