Kai Schubert and Marion Deimling were both born in Germany, but it was on the other side of the world in Martinborough, New Zealand, that they decided to start Schubert Wines.
Since the legal age for drinking wine in Europe is sixteen, Schubert’s first experience with wine started in his teenage years on a school trip to Alsace. This moment opened him up to the idea of how well food could be complimented by a good glass of wine. Once he finished high school, he went straight into studying winemaking, and it was at Geisenheim University Viticulture and Oenology that he met Deimling.
Being from the wine region of Lake Constance, Deimling’s passion for wine and her transition into making it a career was a natural progression.
Although the pair found it possible to find vineyard land back home in Europe, it was after a purist around the world searching for the best location for producing top-quality wines that they finally set their sights on New Zealand.
“The unique blend of topography, ancient geology and climate in Martinborough captivated us immediately,” explained Schubert.
In 1998 they purchased a small established vineyard and a block of bare land in the East Taratahi sub-region, and it was here they planted the variety of their dreams. From there, Schubert Wines was born.
The company is a small producer with around fourteen vineyards in production. The main focus is on Pinot Noir; however, they do offer some other varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah, as well as some unique blends like Tribianco and Con Brio. At the same time, they are making sure to combine both a New Zealand and European style to all of the wines.
Their process is kept primarily based on traditional and simple European winemaking, as they want the vineyard to speak through the wine. They prefer to be gentle with the grapes and offer the best conditions for the wines to develop with fine-tuning when necessary. Schubert and Deimling believe that winemaking is about trying to lose as little as possible of the quality of the grapes.
“Great wines come from great grapes. Winemakers cannot do miracles, so turning bad grapes into good wine is hardly possible.”
Their advice for aspiring winemakers is to make sure to get out there and taste all the wine you can. At the same time, make sure to visit many wine regions, winemakers and vintners worldwide and seek advice and tips from them all to gather up your own preferred processes.
Schubert Wines are recognised for excellence all around the world. Their products are available in forty different export markets and are found on the wine lists of some of the best restaurants in the world.
