Outstanding Vinotheks Details

If you ask Oliver Dax why winemaking is his absolute dream job, the answer is easy for him. "This profession has so many facets that you can put all your ideas into practice beautifully," says the 30-year-old who, together with his parents, runs the traditional Dax winery in the Mosel community of Ernst near Cochem. The marketing of the range - with 20 listings each a deliberate choice and typical of the region, a large share being Riesling - is a particular pleasure for the seventh-generation winegrower. It is clear that the realization of his own vinothek was a project dear to his heart. The family planned the new building together over many months.

Since mid-2019 it has stood about 100 meters from the winery, clearly visible on the Mosel Wine Route and right next to their Vinotel which can sleep 30 guests. "There was once an old winegrower's house on the corner property that was too dilapidated to maintain," says Oliver Dax. However, it was a special concern of all to preserve at least part of the building. "We had the counter and our shelves for the vinothek made from old oak, which comes from the roof structure and wall framework." Together with dark basalt from the Eifel, this results not only in a harmonious, but also a contemporary image.

The fact that exposed concrete was also used in the construction has a practical reason: the vinothek is located in the floodplain of the Mosel. Whether the guest, who has picked up their glass of wine and perhaps a fine selection of cheeses at the bar, prefers to enjoy their culinary delights on the sun terrace or in the inner courtyard of the vinothek, is up to them. The magnificent view of the Mosel valley and the steep slopes of the Valwiger Herrenberg should in any case, not be missed.

The Dax family cultivates around five hectares of vineyards around the Mosel community of Ernst. 95 percent of the bottles produced go directly to end consumers, only a very small number to local restaurateurs. "This is because of our personable style," says the state-certified viticulture and oenologist. And because many Germans recently holidayed in their own country due to Covid, we welcomed significantly younger guests to the vinothek and guest house. "And I am convinced that this will also be the target audience of the future."

At the Dax winery, the increasing interest is happily served with comprehensive advice and insights into the processes in the vineyard and wine cellar. "The main thing is to give our guests the opportunity to try our wines whenever we can," says Oliver Dax. "However, this is so informal that even a layperson doesn't have to feel intimidated." It goes well with the fact that the young winemaker likes to keep his baseball cap on when he serves his guests with wine. In his own personal way.