Collection: Konni & Evi

The story of Konni & Evi is partly the story of German reunification. After the division of Germany, there were only a handful of state-owned wineries in the former GDR. Commercial, privately owned winemaking, as was common on the other side of the border, simply didn't exist. Instead, in the areas around the Saale and Unstrut rivers, people typically planted a dozen or so vines in their back gardens to provide for themselves and their families. After reunification, there were numerous small plots of land in private hands. And a good decade later, there was eBay. And another good decade later, the very first plot of land with which Konni & Evi started their winery was for sale there. At the time, Konni and Evi were living in Jonas Brand's shared apartment in Würzburg and eventually decided to move back to Konni's hometown. An old school cafeteria from GDR times was quickly converted into a cellar, barrels made of Harz oak were bought from the local sexton, and immediately filled with the first vintage. The cultivated area has now grown to around four hectares. Many of these are steep slopes, the soils primarily limestone. Approximately 70 percent of the area is planted with Silvaner, including many old vines—so they both rightly call themselves Silvaner Ultras.