Saxon winemaker Andreas Kretschko is breaking new ground (once again!)… With “Kretschkos Kosmos,” he has launched a new line of seccos and wines—wines for the food retail sector, wines sourced from other producers. There’s a lot of commotion among some local winemakers, but in times of cheerfully carefree double standards, the “St. Florian principle”—a term familiar from the firefighting world—often applies to winemakers (m/f/d) as well. In the 179th episode of our podcast “Auf ein Glas,” Andreas Kretschkos explains that the decision made in 2024 following the devastating late frosts ultimately means two things to him: risk diversification and thus business security on the one hand—but on the other hand, also more freedom at his own winery, as well as—as a side effect—the opportunity once again to experiment with grape varieties that do not grow in his Saxon vineyards.
The frost-stricken year of 2024 was catastrophic for many Saxon winemakers. In Andreas Kretschko’s vineyards, the result was a harvest loss of around 90 percent. At the same time, Kretschko observed that two of his former classmates—who had since become winemaker friends—in Rheinhessen and the Rheingau were dealing with full cellars and sales problems, even though in normal years Kretschko’s wines were often already sold out by summer. This led to the development of a concept for an independent wine line featuring purchased wines, which is deliberately distinct from the family winery and is intended to cushion economic risks.
