Oliver Zeter | Pfalz

Oliver Zeter bottled his first ever vintage in 2007 and his‚ 'Fumé‘, a barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc, quickly drew praise and attention to the young estate. WeinWisser, a German wine guide, wrote of that maiden 2007 vintage: "One of the best Sauvignons north of the Alps and a worthy competitor even in South Tyrol, where Sauvignons of that style are typically cultivated.“ Today, Oliver Zeter currently produces wine from grapes grown on roughly 20 hectares of prime Pfalz vineyards. Six of those hectares he cultivates himself, the remainder are tended by long-time partners. While his plots can be found in vineyards throughout the entire wine growing region, the winery itself is seated in Neustadt, in the heart of the Pfalz.

The drinking bear that adorns the label comes from the quill of a well known Pfalz artist named Otto Dill, a friend of Oliver’s great grandfather Walter Baer (German for bear). On one occasion in 1933 Walter was unable to meet his friends for a regular ‘glass of wine or two’ and the artist sent the sketch on a postcard to his friend Walter the ‘bear’, and the postcard was signed by all the friends present that day. Oliver has the postcard in his kitchen. He declared that the bear had been with him all his life and when he made wine he would go on the label.

OLIVER ZETER