Karl Schaefer Winery – Interview With Johann Seibt

The love of sparkling wine is infinite, a language that everyone can understand, a sparkle that can shine in anyone’s glass, it can connect people, brings them together and places a smile on faces around the world.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with Johann Seibt, the skilled Cellar Master & Winemaker at Karl Schaefer Winery, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and one of his favourite bubbly memories.

It’s Great To Talk To You, Johann. Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself And How Your Journey Into The Wine Industry Began?

“Well, I grew up in the Palatinate, so I’ve been surrounded by wine my whole life. Of course, like most of my class, I didn’t drink wine from stemware. For me, it started with ‘Persching’ (peach) i.e. Weißherbst with Fanta. After it became clear what kind of hangover this mixture would give you, I quickly switched to the dry Riesling spritzer. So that was the first intensive contact with wine. Even as a child, I helped with the grape harvest in my grandfather’s house vineyard.

When I graduated, I worked in a pretty good restaurant in the evenings, where I was the man at the counter. So I poured the wines that were ordered by the service staff. At this point, I started trying pure wine again and again. As is often the case in the catering industry, we sat at table one after work and drank a beer or spritzer.

On a ribbon, the restaurant manager had a bottle of Riesling from a VDP winery with a GG, I remember that exactly, but I can’t remember which winery anymore. The first time I drank this wine, a new world opened up for me!

At this point, I had already started studying to become a civil engineer. After one semester it was clear: I was going to Neustadt and studying viticulture and oenology there.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine? When Was It And What Type Of Label Was It?

“I can’t say when I drank the first sparkling wine, but sparkling wine has become my second love with Riesling.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is It To Create Your Own Wines?

“The year dictates how challenging it is. It’s actually always worthwhile because we make the sparkling wine and the wines just the way we like to drink them ourselves.”

What Part Of The Wine Making Process Do You Enjoy The Most?

“Especially with sparkling wine, all the processes are actually important, so I can get lost in it at every step. Of course, the harvest is always fun, especially because it always means that autumn will soon really get started. But the pressing, the fermentation in the wooden barrels and the bottling give me just as much joy. I also find producing dosage samples super exciting. Because here you can easily taste and smell what a difference an addition of 0 mg to 5 mg SO2 / litre makes, for example. When it comes to the dosage of sugar, I find it quite easy, usually 0 g.”

If You Could Choose One Person In The World, Past Or Present, With Whom You Would Want To Share A Glass Of Bubbly; Who Would It Be And Why? What Would You Drink And Why? What Would You Discuss?

“I would probably have a drink with my 16 year old self and tell him to keep doing what he’s doing because then he’ll be very happy and content at some point. Or with my grandfather, who no longer even noticed that I became a winemaker.”

Can You Tell Us Some Countries And Places Around The World Where You Can Enjoy A Glass Of Weingut Karl Schaefer?

“Since we export a fairly high proportion of our wines, there are a few nice places here. From Spitsbergen or Denmark, via Paris or Spain, you can also find a number of our wines in China, Lithuania or the USA.”

What Future Plans Can Lovers Of The Karl Schaefer Winery Look Forward To In The Coming Years?

“The range is always supplemented with a new sparkling wine. Since I love long yeast storage, the most recent vintage is 2019. On top of that, it will also be exciting because we will have a change in management in February 2025. In the future, we will be able to access areas and locations about which I do not want to reveal any more details yet.”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Unforgettable Experiences You Have Ever Enjoyed Over A Glass Of Bubbly?

“Actually we had other plans… But it so happened that a few friends came to us (6 a.m. in the morning) and we started drinking champagne and high-quality sparkling wines from Italy. At around 10 a.m. we opened another bottle of Cristal 2013 in absolutely questionable condition. IT WAS GORGEOUS!”

Thank you Johann Seibt, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Karl Schaefer Winery & Johann Seibt. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.