Welcome to Episode 9 of TRINKTalks! Today TrinkTalks gives the floor to contributing writer Christoph Raffelt, a fellow podcaster and German wine pioneer. Tune in as Christoff interviews Mosel region wine producers Tobias Feiden, Gernot Kohlmann, & Jonas Dostert on their approaches and challenges when it comes to producing great pinot noir wines. 

Consider joining the TRINK community. Read up on our subscriptions and unlock exclusive wine content, benefits, and experiences. 

ABOUT TODAYS GUESTS 

Tobias Feiden works closely with his wife, Rebecca Materne at Materne & Schmitt. While they collaborate, he focuses entirely on red wines, especially his passion: Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). He cultivates approximately 5,000 m² of vineyards in the Gemarkungen Winningen and Moselsürsch, in the heart of the Mosel’s finest terraced vineyards. His red wines receive equal treatment, with subtle differences emerging from the various vineyard locations and terroir.

Jonas Dostert is a dynamic young vigneron based in Nittel on the Mosel River near Luxembourg, where his limestone-based vineyards on gentle 30-degree slopes are ideal for the lesser-known Elbling grape. Working with both young vines and older, organically certified parcels, Jonas produces fresh, balanced wines with a moderate 10–12% alcohol content. 

Gernot Kohlmann is the visionary winemaker behind Weingut Batterieberg, nestled in the heart of Germany’s Mosel region. Embracing the unique slate soils and steep slopes that define his vineyards, he combines traditional methods with innovative, minimal-intervention techniques to produce wines that truly capture the region’s distinctive terroir. Committed to sustainable viticulture and meticulous craftsmanship, Gernot’s approach allows the natural character of the grapes to shine.

ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST HOST

Christoph Raffelt is one of an exciting new vanguard of voices when it comes to German wine. And voices is not a euphemism here, as it is indeed his voice together with his stellar cast of winemakers and guests that come together on his monthly podcast Originalverkorkt.de; while his words appear in his online magazine of the same name. Christoph has been on the road since 2016 with Büro für Wein & Kommunikation as a freelance journalist, copywriter and all-round wordsmith. His work has appeared in such esteemed publications as Meiningers, Weinwirtschaft, Weinwelt, Sommelier, Champagne-Magazin and Schluck.

ABOUT TRINK 

TRINKTalks has been brought to you by TRINK Magazine, an independent quarterly digital publication exploring the “German-speaking wines” of Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.facebook.com/trinkmag

https://www.instagram.com/trink_magazine/

https://x.com/magazinetrink?lang=en

https://www.linkedin.com/company/trink-magazine/

ABOUT THE HOSTS OF TRINK TALKS

Valerie Kathawala specializes in the wine cultures, traditions, and innovations of Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, and Switzerland, as well as those closer to her home in New York City. Her work appears in the pages of Noble Rot, The Art of Eating, SevenFifty Daily, Meininger’s Wine Business International, Pipette, Glug, Pellicle and a number of other publications. She is the co-founder and co-editor of the wine magazine TRINK. She is currently at work researching and writing a new course (2025) on German wines for the Wine Scholar Guild. 

Paula Redes Sidore moves smoothly between the worlds of wine and words. She is a double-certified sommelier, through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Chamber of Commerce.  In 2012, she founded Weinstory, a creative content and translation agency dedicated to transposing the world of German-speaking wine into English. She is the German and Austrian regional specialist for jancisrobinson.com and a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Paula has a Masters degree in fiction writing, and her work has been featured in jr.com, Sevenfifty Daily, Feinschmecker, and Heated.