For a Riesling series, Kaltenthaler cultivates wild yeasts, for example from Julius Brantner Brothandwerk. The bottle and packaging were designed by Frankfurt-based studio ACTH - A Creative Thinking House. They had already won design awards with the branding of the Kaltenthaler distillery and are now taking their products a step further in terms of design.
"Good things come from a good home"
"When it comes to the concept for the House of Kaltenthaler, I need to expand a little so that you can understand the approach to the concept," explains Janis Binder, Creative Director of Studio ACTH. "The Kaltenthaler family is a family through and through, who have found their passion in the world of grapes as well as in the world of distilleries." After some excellent projects for the wine and vinegar manufactory as well as a redesign for the winery, he realized that it was also necessary to work on the name. "So the Kaltenthaler organic wine and vinegar manufactory became 'Haus Kaltenthaler' to build bridges between product diversity, reorientation and the Kaltenthaler tradition.
Factors for quality
The YPDer Riesling series, an outstanding example of traditional craftsmanship combined with innovative ideas, was created at precisely this interface. Jan Frank Kaltenthaler, who studied beverage technology, wanted to get even closer to the culture and character of wine. He is not only well acquainted with yeast cultures and maturing times in theory, he also enjoys conducting his own experiments. "During my studies at the Technical University of Munich, I came into close contact with the exuberant diversity of microorganisms in the beverage industry," he says.
Great interest turned into serious consideration when he took over his parents' business at home. "Many wineries in Germany still advertise their vineyard sites, i.e. small geographical parcels that are said to have particularly good conditions for wine," says Kaltenthaler. Through his studies, he realized that completely different factors also influence the quality of a wine and decided to extract the best quality grapes from the local Riesling vineyard and then ferment the juice with different yeasts, "just to show what world opens up behind the long-established traditions."
Wine knowledge meets the art of baking
For the strictly limited 2021 YPD Riesling, he fermented microorganisms from bread for the first time - and this is where the craftsmanship of master baker Julius Brantner came into play. "I wanted to have the most honest, transparent and artisanal baker I knew on board," says Kaltenthaler, who had previously collaborated with a Michelin-starred restaurant for three editions. "This was the only way I could ensure that I would really be working with genuine, traditional bread products."
A microbiological footprint
The name of the YPD series is an abbreviation of the nutrient medium "Yeast, Peptone, Dextrose" on which the yeasts grow in the Petri dishes. The hand-picked Riesling grapes are also the namesake, but in order for the wine to ultimately acquire its distinctive taste, patience is required in addition to the best fruit and the utmost precision: first, the microbiological footprint of a site is carefully collected in an air germ analysis, followed by a careful selection of the most optimally adapted yeast. In the final step, propagation, the vital yeast culture is added to the freshly pressed grape juice. The 2021 YPD Riesling spends almost six months on the lees to balance itself before being shipped in the summer of 2022.
Color & Shape
The design agency acth - A Creative Thinking House from Frankfurt was once again responsible for the design of the elegant bottles, adding the Julius Brantner Pantone blue established as typical by Melville Brand Design to the minimalist labels in order to draw attention to the unique collaboration.
"On the label, we work typographically with brackets and, as with our other bages, with a symbolic design language," says Janis Binder. "For the YPD wine with Julius Brantner, the oval shape in the middle comes from a petri dish and bears the primary corporate color of Julius Brantner. The label was finished with a blind embossing in the shape of a petri dish."
Diversity instead of monopoly
The young microbiologist and owner of the organic wine and vinegar producer Kaltenthaler is committed to careful craftsmanship and scientific precision. "Yeast diversity instead of terroir monopolies" is his credo, as there is currently only a limited range of yeasts on the market. With his quality standards and passion for special experiments, his profession is similar to Julius Brantner's philosophy. The cooperation provides the best proof that yeast cultures are just as important for the character of a wine as terroir and location.
Anyone interested in tasting the 2021 YPD Riesling can pre-order one of the limited bottles on the Kaltenthaler website or purchase one in Munich from Julius Brantner Brothandwerk.
