Name: Nicolas Frauer
Currently: Winemaker at Weingut Juliusspital
Website: www.juliusspital.de/weingut
Questions:
Please, tell us about how you got into wine, the wine industry and how your career developed?
I was infected by the wine virus during a language trip to Avignon at the age of 16. In the following years I read a lot about wine and decided to do an internship at Dr. Heger in 2003. This resulted in an apprenticeship which resulted in a diploma in Oenology in Dijon which resulted in my current position.
What is your philosophy to making wine and viticulture?
Respect. Purity. Clarity.
I try to respect nature, tradition and the terroir as well as the people involved in our winemaking. It’s a matter of trying to find the right spot for everything: Letting the terroir express itself, giving everybody the right jobs within the winery in order for them to be happy at work.
For the profile of wine I am looking for: wine has to be natural and pure, the intention is to display perfectly the grape variety and the terroir, precisely, directly. Wine should reach the heart of the drinker.
Which cultivar is your favourite to work with and why?
Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Riesling
they require perfect work in the vineyards if you want to make a decent wine. They are a mirror of the terroir and their character.
How do you see the future of wine production and what are the challenges and the opportunities?
Wine will always be produced and drunk. Winemaking traditions will always play a role, maybe in the future even more than now. There are more and more people in the world getting to love wine.
We will have to cope with a modern taste and the respect of traditions. We will have to make very fruity wines but also more sophisticated wines for the enthusiasts, wine that do not equal others but are special.
Where do you see the global wine market in 2025?
My estimation:
Africa will develop, India will develop. In the current third world, the winemarket will start to grow. Europe will be slightly bigger as a market, North America as well.
Nicolas Frauer
@ by Dominik Kozlik – www.sommelier-jobs.com – Zeitgeist Sommeliers
Dominik Kozlik e.U.
78/12 Gruberstr.
4020 Linz, Austria