Weingut Hey

Areas where delicious wine comes from, but where viticulture does not form a monoculture, are often the best. Saale-Unstrut, in the former GDR, is such an area. The landscape is lovely and very varied, and there is plenty to see: castles, monasteries, picturesque villages. Saale-Unstrut lies on the diagonal line between Frankfurt-am-Main and Leipzig, and is named after two rivers, the Saale and the Unstrut. Viticulture is not a new phenomenon in this region, which is relatively unknown to us; it dates back to 953. And although there have been a number of holes along the way to the present, including the communist regime, the small wine region (± 800 hectares) now seems to have the wind in its sails again. A lot of sekt is made here and there are more and more producers for whom quality is paramount.

An absolute star in Saale-Unstrut is the small Weingut Hey. The young, talented Matthias Hey has been making the wine here since 2008. Membership of the prestigious VDP since 2019 confirms his remarkable talent. Matthias owns two VDP.Grosse Lagen in the beautiful Naumburger Steinmeister vineyard, known for the characteristic wines that come from it. The vineyard, a Steillage, is ideally situated in a sunny but not too warm spot, close to the Saale river. The soil consists of Muschelkalk and Buntsandstein and Matthias is always looking for the best way to make this soil tasteable in his wine.

Weingut Hey grows both white and black grapes – Riesling, Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, Spätburgunder, Zweigelt – and although Matthias is an oenologist, he prefers to rely on “das gute alte Bauchgefühl” rather than on technique when working. He usually lets his wines ferment spontaneously, also opts for a long skin maceration for whites and gives all his wines the time to become who they are. The wines – produced in very small quantities – are without a doubt something special: crystal clear, spicy, exciting and complex; a direct reflection of the beautiful terroir.