Auf Der Grenze Grauburgunder
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Creamy mushroom risotto, roasted pork loin, grilled poultry
✨ Technical Specifications
The name 'Auf Der Grenze' (On the Border) is a literal testament to Weingut Bernhart's unique geography, where vineyards straddle the boundary between the German Pfalz and French Alsace. This cross-border heritage dates back to post-WWII agreements allowing Schweigen winemakers to continue farming their historic plots on French soil. This Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) is shaped by this dual identity and the region's signature Kalkmergel (limestone marl) soils. Combining Alsatian richness with German precision, the wine is typically fermented in a combination of stainless steel and large traditional oak casks, resulting in a textured, mineral-driven white wine with elegant structure and vibrant acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Weingut Bernhart is situated in Schweigen-Rechtenbach along the southernmost fringe of the Pfalz, right at the French frontier near the historic Deutsches Weintor. While the family's agricultural roots date back centuries, estate bottling commenced under Willi and Wilma Bernhart in 1971, followed by their accession to the VDP in 2004 and formal organic certification in 2012. Today led by Gerd and Sabine Bernhart, the estate commands a singular cross-border terroir: approximately two-thirds of its roughly 20 hectares of vineyards are technically situated on French soil in Alsace, governed by special bilateral treaties that allow the wines to bear German designations. The viticultural backbone rests on dense, fossil-rich limestone, calcareous marl, and clay deposits across benchmark cru plots such as the Schweigener Sonnenberg. Winemaking emphasizes spontaneous fermentation, lees contact, and judicious wood aging, generating deeply structured, mineral-driven white and red expressions epitomized by their Kalkmergel and Grosses Gewächs bottlings.
🍇 Grapes
Grauburgunder
🍷 ABV
12.5-13.5%