Behind the vine

Bianka Schmitt - Weingut Bianka und Daniel Schmitt - Rheinhessen, Germany

When do you think you fell in love with wine, enough to make a career of it?

The first time I fell in love with wine was when I was a child. My grandfather had always wanted to be a winemaker, but due to the Hungarian revolution in 1956, he couldn't study. Even so, he was passionate about wine and had connections at wineries where he could learn a bit here and there. He always took me to wine events and tastings, and that continued until I went to secondary school. My gymnasium was combined with a winemaker's school, so after I got my degree I decided to train as a winemaker. We didn't have any parcels or anything, and I thought to myself, if destiny is kind to me, I'll find a nice winery with some responsibilities and maybe one day I'll make my own wine.

Then, in 2012, the school offered internships for students and I had the chance to go to Germany. I landed at Weingut Schmitt, and I met Daniel. At the time, I didn't realize I was going to land at a winery with such a nice, young guy. So when I arrived, exactly 10 years ago during the harvest, I fell in love with wine and with Daniel. He says he always knew I had the spirit to make wine inside of me from the first time he met me. It didn't take him long to offer me the ability to make wine there, with him and his support.

What story does your wine tell?

The story is about honesty and love. You can make wine in hundreds of different ways, but it's really about trust in your partner. Our label is put together with two colors and two poles and it gives you the feeling of mathematic and cosmic energies and what happens in between. The combination represents our balance.

We are two people leading the property, but we are so individual, so we make many varieties. We don't put everything in the same bucket - we process separately and with care. Our wines will always show the vintage, but we want the variety to show itself as well.

I want people to open a bottle of our wine and feel the support - nothing more man or more woman. Everything is balanced, on the same side, and about 100% acceptance. Everyone has something to say in our wine.

What misconceptions about wine do you think people should forget?

I have three words that come to mind: Chardonnay, Merlot and natural wine.

People think Chardonnay is full-bodied and heavy and decide they don't want it. The same with Merlot because of the famous movie quote. They become wines that are hard to sell. Natural wine is the same. Natural wine actually represents a huge group of different wines that range from cloudy to clear, no sulfur to heavy sulfur, and sometimes slight filtration. There's no known definition so it's about each individual winemaker making his/her profile and philosophy. However, many people who had a bad experience with natural wine say they don't want to ever drink another one. People need to rethink these misconceptions and give the wines a chance.

What great things about wine do you think people should remember?

The people and stories behind a bottle. At the end of the day, wine is a product and result of an entire year of work. Because of this, it's about people and their energies. It's always important to give respect to the bottle, so while you're giving it time to open up, talk about the bottle and talk about the people behind it.

What is a piece of advice you would give to a woman interested in breaking into the wine world?

Don't be shy to ask questions. I know, myself, I would have a question in my head but I would be shy to ask it. In the wine world, men talk to men. If you're a woman and you ask something, first, no one hears you and then you ask again, louder, and feel weird and frustrated. You can begin to speak louder and stand in a certain way to avoid feeling unseen. Don't be shy.

Where can women find your wine?

We export 95% of our production and you can find distributors and retailers by contacting us.