8: The Power of German Pinot Noir with Sophie Christmann - TRINKTalks

Welcome to Episode 8 of TRINKTalks! Join Paula and Valerie as they sit down with Sophie Christmann of Weingut A. Christmann, in the Pfalz region, Germany's second largest wine growing region. Sophie talks to us about her background and transition into the Christmann winery, working with her father and focusing on Pinot and Riesling. We also get to hear about her thoughts on the selección masal from Burgundy, and her implementation of her fathers advice to experiment with plantings,  first before pulling up and replanting everything. Her earnest passion is evident and we hope you enjoy  this conversation as much as we did!

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ABOUT GUEST SOPHIE CHRISTMANN

Weingut A. Christmann, located in Gimmeldingen in the Palatinate region of Germany, has been a family-run winery since the 16th century. Specializing in Riesling and Pinot Noir, the estate is renowned for its commitment to biodynamic viticulture, a practice it has embraced since 2003. 

Sophie Christmann, the 8th generation to have a hand in the winery, is a graduate in viticulture and oenology from Geisenheim University. She gained experience in various German wine regions as well as in Bordeaux and Australia and she now works alongside her father, bringing her international expertise to the family business. Together, Steffen and Sophie are dedicated to producing exceptional wines that embody the character of their esteemed vineyards, including the renowned Idig, Ölberg, Mandelgarten, and Reiterpfad sites. 

ABOUT TRINK 

TRINKTalks has been brought to you by TRINK Magazine, an independent quarterly digital publication exploring the “German-speaking wines” of Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. 

Founders Paula Redes Sidore, based in Germany, and Valerie Kathawala, in New York, were brought together by their shared love for these wines and the conviction that a deep understanding of the cultural contexts in which they are embedded is essential to appreciating them fully. 

TRINK launched in 2020. From the outset, their mission has been to deepen the understanding of how wine intersects with and impacts the narrative, culture, history, and geography of the European spaces where German is common cultural currency. 

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ABOUT THE HOSTS OF TRINK TALKS

Valerie Kathawala specializes in the wine cultures, traditions, and innovations of Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, and Switzerland, as well as those closer to her home in New York City. Her work appears in the pages of Noble Rot, The Art of Eating, SevenFifty Daily, Meininger’s Wine Business International, Pipette, Glug, Pellicle and a number of other publications. She is the co-founder and co-editor of the wine magazine TRINK. She is currently at work researching and writing a new course (2025) on German wines for the Wine Scholar Guild. 

Paula Redes Sidore moves smoothly between the worlds of wine and words. She is a double-certified sommelier, through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Chamber of Commerce.  In 2012, she founded Weinstory, a creative content and translation agency dedicated to transposing the world of German-speaking wine into English. TRINK is the natural extension of that pursuit. She is the German a