Not every talented winemaker grows up in the vineyard. It seems a stroke of remarkably good fortune that Peter Thelen has made a home at Willems-Willems on the Saar rather than at his parents’ dental practice in Cologne. The dynamic young winemaker carries out Carolin and Jürgen Hofmann's philosophy with the passion of a convert; it's clear he sees his own approach in the vineyard and the cellar mirrored in theirs. That makes it easy for him to treat his work as a true labor of love, as if it were solely his own. His work overseeing operations keeps him perpetually local, overseeing the estate's meticulous quality assurance processes in both vineyard and cellar.
His commitment reflects an abiding low-intervention approach with a focus on sustainability, one that he has championed since 2010. For Peter, outstanding wine quality is built on a balanced ecosystem where plants and beneficial organisms live in harmony.
Experience
After completing training as a winemaker in Württemberg (2009), Peter pursued enology at the University of Geisenheim while also working at the wine estate in Appenheim. He quickly earned trust and respect, and in 2010 accepted a position as managing director of the Saar winegrowing estate. He furthered his enological experience by assuming seasonal winemaker duties at the Gabrielskloof Wine Estate in South Africa during the winter months of 2012 - 2015.