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Wolffer Estate Vineyard |
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Wolffer Website
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Roman Roth The talent behind the critically acclaimed Wölffer Estate wines belongs to a gifted German winemaker, Roman Roth, whose training and experience are a blend of several wine cultures on three continents. Born in Rottweil, Germany, Roth was a choirboy as a youth, who grew up to be a tenor and an interpreter of lieder as an adult. But he set his sights on a winemaking career early on. In 1982, at age 16, he began a three-year apprenticeship at the Kaiserstuhl Wine Cooperative in Oberrotweil while attending a technical school in Heilbron. Turning 20, and looking for fresh influences, Roth traveled to the United States in the summer of 1986 ending up in the heart of Carneros, California to work at the respected Saintsbury Estate, a winery known for its impressive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Next, he traveled around the world to faraway New South Wales, Australia, to work at Rosemount Estate, famous for its Chardonnays and Shiraz, and to take part in the harvest of 1988. Back in Germany for further study, Roth worked at the Winzerkeller Wiesloch in Baden. During his tenure there, the winery earned wide acclaim for its award-winning releases, notably the Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Méthode Champenoise wines. The year 1992 was important for Roth for two reasons: first, he earned his Master Winemaker and Cellar Master degree from the College for Oenology and Viticulture in Weinsberg. And second, he accepted Christian Wölffer’s invitation to join him in New York to be the winemaker at what was then the mere start-up of a winery, at that time known as Sagpond Vineyards in Sagaponack, New York. Arriving at Sagpond, Roth found 28 acres of vineyards and rudimentary winemaking facilities. In quick order, he established a temporary winery and a tasting room and began the exacting task of bringing forth the Sagpond Vineyards’ first vintage, a Chardonnay. Over the next several years, Roth managed the cultivation and expansion of the vineyards, which today number 50 acres, and the vinification, ultimately producing wines that embody the essence of the Hamptons appellation—ripe fruit and natural acidity born of a unique terroir, a lush combination of soil, sun, moisture and the ever-present maritime breezes from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Under Roth’s meticulous direction, the wines—among them, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Rosé, a Méthode Champenoise Sparkling Brut, and Wölffer Premier Cru, an exceptional Bordeaux-style Merlot that is the winery’s flagship wine—possess three distinctive Wölffer characteristics. First, the wines embody a classic European style yet are also authentic to the Hamptons region; second, the wines are made for longevity, with a depth and elegance that improves with age; and third, the wines are closely linked with gastronomy, the ideal companions for a wide range of foods and cuisines. Roth’s tireless quest to continuously push quality levels to new heights explains the consistency and high quality that have become synonymous with the Wölffer name. Roth’s contribution to quality winemaking on Long Island was recognized at the April 2003 East End Food & Wine Awards (judged by the American Sommelier Society), where he was named “Winemaker of the Year.” Roth, who occasionally sings for guests at the winery, is rarely very far from the vineyard, now known as Wölffer Estate Vineyard. Indeed, he lives with his wife, Dushy, a physician from Australia, and daughter Indira in nearby Sag Harbor. The family is closely involved in the winery’s busy summer social and special events calendar. |
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