Hermann J. Wiemer

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Hermann J. Wiemer
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Born
Bernkastel-Wittlich, Germany
Occupationretired winemaker
Known forHermann J. Wiemer Vineyard

Hermann J. Wiemer is the founder of Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, a winery specializing in Rieslings[1] in Dundee, New York.

Early life and education

Wiemer was born in Bernkastel-Wittlich, Germany[2] and raised in Bernkastel-Kues[3]. His mother's family has been growing grapes for three centuries.[4][5] His father, Eduard, worked for the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute (commonly called the Geisenheim Institute) and was the director for a grafting experimental station in Bernkastel.[6] He was one of the people responsible for re-establishing vineyards in the Mosel Valley after World War II.[7] As a grafting expert[8], he taught his son how to graft Mosel rieslings onto American rootstock, and Wiemer learned how to clone grave vines at 14[9]. As the only son, he spent a lot of his youth "pulling weeds and pruning" while his schoolmates were playing soccer.[10] While Wiemer was in high school, he worked for two years in Deidisheim, in the Rhine Valley, working in vineyards as a kind of college prep course.[6]

He studied oenology at the Geisenheim Institute.[11]

Early years in New York

In 1965, Wiemer moved to Conesus, New York, for a year where he worked for St. Michel's Seminary and its winemaker, Leo Goering, a 1922 graduate of Geisenheim. There his job was to add 20 acres of European grapes grafted onto American rootstock to the O-Neh-da Vineyard[6] on the west side of Hemlock Lake, one of the eleven Finger Lakes. After gaining experience from his German mentor and learning some English, he returned to Germany. Then Dr. Helmut Becker, the renowned viticulturist who had been his professor at Geisenheim, put him in touch with Walter Taylor of Bully Hill Vineyards[7] while he was traveling in Germany. In 1968[12] Walter hired him as a winemaker, and Wiemer relocated to Hammondsport on the southwest side of Canandaigua Lake. He helped Walter in the vineyard and in winemaking as Walter prepared to establish his Bully Hill Vineyards in 1970, but Wiemer was never the fan of French-American hybrid grapes that Walter was.[13] He met and became friends with Dr. Konstantin Frank, the Ukrainian-born winemaker who had planted his own vinifera vineyards in 1958 and opened his Vinifera Wine Cellars winery in 1962[14] just four miles (six kilometers) north of Bully Hill. Dr. Frank had written his thesis on how to grow Vitis vinifera (the scientific name for European grapes) in cold climates[15] and was proving it could be done in Hammondsport. He believed that the reason vinifera grapes had not survived the freezing New York winters was because they had not been grafted onto suitable American rootstock.[16]

Seeing Dr. Frank's success with grafted vinifera grapes encouraged Wiemer's interest in growing vinifera on American rootstock in New York. He was also encouraged by the peach and black cherry trees in the area because Germans believed that where those trees grow, so could European grapes[17], so he began to look for land. He chose an abandoned farm in Dundee, a village on the west side of Seneca Lake in 1973. The 140-acre (57-hectare) parcel had been a soybean farm and came with a house from the 1880s and a "new" barn from the 1930s. Since he couldn't find a bank to lend him money, he agreed to pay $300.59 per month to the owner[13] (the equivalent of $2,018 in today's dollars). That same year he began to plant vinifera (Chardonnay, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer), despite local experts claiming that European grapevines could never grow on Seneca Lake because of the cold New York winters. He also planted some Seyval Blanc, a French hybrid,[17] to compare its performance but found that some of the vinifera clones were much better.[18] He expanded the blocks in 1978 to a full nine acres of Riesling and another nine acres of Chardonnay.

Wiemer also established a nursery on his new land, where he grafted vinifera scions onto American rootstock. At the time, he was able to import the vines from Europe.[9] His first customers were from New York and the east coast, but he soon expanded to Michigan, Texas, and all the way to California.[7] The nursery and his job at Bully Hill gave him the income he needed to continue investing in his vineyard to make it a success.

Establishing Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard

With a thriving nursery, Wiemer turned to establishing a winery, and the timing was perfect because New York had just passed the Farm Winery Act in June 1976, allowing growers of small vineyards to produce and sell wines in tasting rooms on their farms. Before the law was passed, there were only 19 wineries in the state, and there were none on Seneca Lake.[19] Two years later in 1979, he officially established his eponymous winery when he produced his first vintage of 900 cases of two wines. He submitted samples of both to the New York State Fair wine competition in 1980, and his 1979 Chardonnay won gold in the newly established vinifera category, while his 1979 dry Riesling won the bronze.[20] The New York Times wrote a favorable article about him and his new winery in November of that year, saying that he was "proving ... that European varietals can be produced successfully here" in New York and that he was "the leading advocate of cultivating European varietals."[21]

In December 1980, Wiemer went home to Bernkastel to visit his parents for the holidays. Just after Christmas, he received a call from one of his workers, telling him that all his vines were dead.[22] A cold front that brought in temperatures from -10[22] to -30 degrees Fahrenheit[23] (-23 to -34 degrees celsius) had killed many of the vines in the Finger Lakes. People called it the Christmas massacre. Then, on December 29th, he received a mailgram from Walter Taylor, saying, "Due to financial problems, we have been forced to lay off employees. Unfortunately, your employment was terminated as of Monday, December 29th, 1980."

Due to his sudden unemployment after over a decade of helping Walter Taylor, Wiemer turned his full attention to his burgeoning nursery, vineyard, and winery. In 1982, he was able to get a loan to remodel the front of the barn into a tasting room, add a second floor for offices, and a third floor for an apartment for himself. By 1983, Wiemer's wines were being served in restaurants like the Four Seasons, Lavin's, and Windows on the World. He also worked as a consultant to other wineries.[24] Demand for his wines was growing, and in 1985 Wiemer realized that he would need to double production from 6,000 cases a year to 12,000. Riesling and Chardonnay made up the majority of his production, but his Champagne-style sparkling and Burgundy-style Pinot Noir were also successful, reflecting the changing tastes of the American market.[25] His grapevines were also being shipped all over the country but especially to Long Island and Virginia. The nursery was producing 350,000 vines per year, using omega grafts, resulting in a 95 to 98 percent success rate of budding in the callusing box.[18] In 1986, he was able to refurbish and remodel the 1880s farmhouse.[13]

By 1987, the vineyard was producing 10,000 cases of wine from 65 acres of vineyards and making one million dollars in annual sales. The nursery was a separate company from his winery and shipped about 500,000 vines per year to customers around the country.[9]

In January 1988, Wiemer found out by accident that his 1986 Riesling was the first New York wine to be served on an international flight on American Airlines. He was flying coach to West Germany, and a keen-eyed American Airlines employee noticed his name was the same as the wine being served in first class. The winemaker was offered a complimentary first-class seat, which he accepted.[26]

In 1987[9] his winemaker was Dana Keeler, who had been his assistant at Bully Hill.[3] In 1989, he made 11,000 cases and had 35 acres planted in Riesling, with which he produced a dry, semi-dry, late harvest, late harvest TBA, as well as a sparkling vintage.[17] By 1991, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard was producing about 15,000 cases a year, under the supervision of Winemaker Dana Keeler[4], and by 1992, Wiemer had 55 acres of vineyards.[5] In 1993, Peter Oughterson, who grew up next door to the winery and had worked in the vineyard and winery for years, became his new winemaker.[27]

In 1996 and 1998, his winery produced 17,000 cases, which he considered classified it as a medium-sized winery. He also found success as a consultant to many California wineries, and his nursery was selling 200,000 vines to vineyards all across the country.[28][29] By 1998, more than half the grapevines in Long Island vineyards came from Wiemer's nursery.[13]

Over the years, Wiemer had expanded sales and grown the reputation of the winery by focusing on the quality of his vines (mainly Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Champagne-style sparkling) and winemaking rather than by adding a boutique or restaurant like other local wineries. His wines were being sold in six eastern states and were featured in high-end restaurants, such as Lutèce in Washington, DC, and Oceana in New York City. His vines were also being sold to top vineyards around the world.[30]

Wiemer realized that the gravelly soil and location of his vineyard could produce outstanding mineral-driven wines, but he also wanted to offer fruit-forward wines, so in 1998, he bought two vineyards in Dresden, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of his Dundee vineyard. They were owned by Taylor Wine Company, and one of them had been planted with Riesling and Gewürztraminer in 1974. The new vineyards were later named Magdalena (for his mother) and Josef (for his maternal uncle) in 2007.

Success and retirement

In 2001, Wiemer received a call from a recent Cornell University graduate who asked if he knew anyone in Germany who could teach him winemaking. The winemaker asked the young man, Fred Merwarth, about himself. Fred lived in Easton, Pennsylvania, and had just finished his degree in agricultural business. He had gone to Freiburg, Germany, to study German and while there, he'd taken a trip to Alsace and visited the Emile Beyer winery. The winemaker there sat down with him and explained some of the agricultural and technical aspects of winemaking, and Fred was hooked.[31] He decided he wanted to learn how to make wine in Germany, hence the call to Wiemer. The latter said he didn't know any winemakers in Germany but invited Fred to come work with him. Fred moved to New York and eventually became Wiemer's winemaker. In the meantime, he found out that Wiemer had many winemaking contacts in Germany but really needed an apprentice.

In order to encourage the growth and health of natural yeast in the vineyards, Wiemer decided to eliminate the use of herbicides in 2003. By 2005, he was growing 60 acres of vinifera, 30 of which were devoted to Riesling.[32]

In 2006, Wiemer's Riesling Reserve 2002 won the Governor's Cup awarded by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.[citation needed] This award goes to the best of show in the annual New York Wine Classic.[33] The wine was also named best Riesling and best white wine.

At the age of 66, Wiemer retired in August 2007 and turned the winery over to Fred Merwarth, his winemaker,[34] and Fred's wife, Maressa, and Fred's Cornell classmate, Oskar Bynke. Wiemer then moved to Ithaca, located on the south end of Cayuga Lake.

Further reading

Dawson, Evan (2011). Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes. Sterling Epicure.

Lukacs, Paul B. (2000). American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine. Boston : Houghton Mifflin.

Thompson, Sarah S. (2015) Finger Lakes Wine Country (Images of America Series). Arcadia Publishing.

References

  1. ↑ Asimov, Eric (October 11, 2011). "Deep Lakes, Icy Climate, Great Wine". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  2. ↑ Lukacs, Paul (2005). American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine (paperback ed.). New York, NY: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc. p. 341. ISBN 0393-32516-4.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hochstein, Mort (February 28, 1991). "Finger Lakes Winemaker Goes His Own Way". The Wine Specator. New York City: M. Shanken Communications.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Helbig, Gerd; Scheicher, Hans (1991). Leute aus Amerika (in German) (Hardcover ed.). Munich, Germany: List Mit SU (Grün) Rote Schrift. p. 147. ISBN 3471778837.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Prial, Frank J. (May 3, 1992). "Wine: Lakes' Success". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Geyer, Phil (27 Jul 1965). "Young German Winemaker Arrives". Democrat and Chronicle, p. 48. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Figiel, Richard (February 1992). "The Producer of Vines & Wines: Hermann J. Wiemer". Vineyard and Winery Management. Santa Rosa, California.
  8. ↑ "Wiemer, Eduard (1911-1998)". Gesellschaft für Geschichte des Weines e. V. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Negrea, Sherrie (27 Apr 1987). "A Taste of Europe Grows Upstate". Democrat and Chronicle, p. 48. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Dobbin, Ben (January 30, 2007). "Rieslings earn Finger Lakes a seat at world's fine-wine table". The Gettysburg Times. Associated Press. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Pacult, F. Paul (May 1999). "A New York State of Wine". Sky. Delta Airlines.
  12. ↑ Murphy, George (22 Jun 1975). "Walter Taylor and Bully Hill Wine: Heritage and Harvard to Grapes of Wrath". Democrat and Chronicle, p. 41. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Goodman, Eric. "The Wiemer Touch". Saveur. Number 26 (April 1998): 33–34.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Sarah S. (2015). Finger Lakes Wine Country (Images of America) (paperback ed.). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 93. ISBN 9781467123341.
  15. ↑ Pinney, Thomas (May 7, 2012). The Makers of American Wine: A Record of Two Hundred Years (cloth: alk paper ed.). University of California Press. p. 197. ISBN 9780520269538.
  16. ↑ Thompson, Sarah S. (2015). Finger Lakes Wine Country (Images of America) (paperback ed.). Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 88. ISBN 9781467123341.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Stepanovich, Mike (March 9, 1989). "New York wine maker prospers from vinifera gamble". The Bakersfield Californian.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Acuff, Gary (May 1985). "For New York Grape Grower "Old Country" Touch Makes Viniferas Thrive". American Fruit Grower. Willoughby, Ohio: Meister Media Worldwide.
  19. ↑ Cazentre, Don (December 11, 2016). "New York's winery boom began 40 years ago: How a 1976 law changed everything". New York Upstate. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  20. ↑ Murray, William (22 Aug 1980). "Wine Almanac". The Buffalo News, p. 69. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  21. ↑ Robards, Terry (5 Nov 1980). "Wine Talk: Wiemer's '79 riesling is dry in taste and has a finish that lingers". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Dawson, Evan (2011). Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes (paperback ed.). New York, NY: Sterling Epicure. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4027-9710-1.
  23. ↑ "10 Interesting Facts about Finger Lakes Wine". IWFS. The International Wine and Food Society. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  24. ↑ Ensrud, Barbara (28 Sep 1983). "A slow market, but not too many sour grapes". Daily News, p. 83. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Murray, William (23 Aug 1985). "Wine Almanac: One New York winery prospers against the odds". The Buffalo News, p. 74. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  26. ↑ Negrea, Sherrie (Feb 20, 1988). "Top-gun winery honored as its Riesling is picked for international flights". Democrat and Chronicle, p. 9. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  27. ↑ Richards, Jeff (September 11, 2003). "Out of the woods, a new winery". Star-Gazette. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  28. ↑ Peterson, Matt (March 10, 1997). "Fruit of his labor: Wiemer can taste success". The Leader (Corning, New York). Gatehouse Media.
  29. ↑ Essex, Andrew (October 1998). "Pioneering a great New York State Riesling". Food & Wine.
  30. ↑ Shriver, Jerry (October 16, 1998). "Fine wines, few frills: Wiemer ramains a Finger Lakes leader". USA Today.
  31. ↑ Mobley, Esther. "Winemaker Talk: Fred Merwarth of Hermann J. Wiemer". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  32. ↑ Sanderson, Bruce (Dec 15, 2005). "Great Grapes: Riesling". Wine Spectator. New York, New York: M. Shanken Communications. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  33. ↑ "New York Wine Classic 2022". New York Wine & Grape Foundation. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  34. ↑ Hochstein, Morton (August 9, 2007). "Finger Lakes Icon Hermann Wiemer Hands Off Winery Reins". Wine Spectator. Retrieved 29 January 2023.

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