With Pride & Gratitude: Celebrate Thanksgiving with us!
As you may already know, we are proud Palatinate residents. In fact, we are very proud of it, even though it's somewhat strange to be proud of something you have absolutely no influence over – who chooses where they are born and grow up? But that's just how we humans are; we love our homeland, and woe betide anyone who questions our beloved traditions. So far, so good. But sometimes it can go too far:
Photo: State coat of arms of Rhineland-Palatinate
Have you ever heard of the KATWARN app? It's a warning service from authorized authorities & organizations in Germany that provides location- and topic-based information about acute dangers such as storms, fires, floods, etc. A good system, we think.
And have you ever heard of the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt (in Palatinate dialect Worschdmakt)? No? It's the Palatinate equivalent of Oktoberfest in Munich, but with a more refined drink. Yes, the Worschdmakt is actually primarily about wine. (Don't ask where the name comes from. Some things just develop in convoluted ways). This year, the world's largest wine festival took place in the first two weeks of September and attracted around 600,000 visitors. A highlight at the Worschdmarkt is the literary Frühschoppen (morning pint). People gather as early as 7 a.m. (yes, in the morning) to celebrate Palatinate culture, enjoyment, and tradition together.
And what misguided idea did someone in the district administration come up with just in time for the literary Frühschoppen? You won't guess, so we'll tell you: Via the KATWARN system, everyone at the Wurstmarkt (and in the surrounding area) was officially prompted to... sing the Palatinate song! What, you don't know the Palatinate song? That's THE song (besides the Küferschlag) that everyone here in the Palatinate can sing by heart.
You can find it in full length here:
The uproar in the press was huge, and rightly so. Because disaster warning systems should not be used for public entertainment. Nevertheless, we've been wondering ever since how many people at the festival and in Bad Dürkheim spontaneously broke into song.
One person, at least, believes in himself and his homeland: The Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Alexander Schweitzer, stood in the middle of a street in Washington D.C. at the end of September and bravely sang the Palatinate song. With all stanzas. He was probably lucky that the sensitive border protection agency ICE was not nearby and did not interpret the homeland-loving song as an indirect attack on the USA…
But enough about local pride. Let's talk about gratitude. This Sunday (October 5, 2025), we're celebrating our harvest festival at the winery, with new wine and onion tart. You are cordially invited to celebrate with us!
If you can't make it on such short notice, you should mark down the Winegrowers' Parade in Neustadt on October 12, 2025. This is the regional harvest festival for Palatinate winegrowers and attracts around 80,000 visitors. The first festival took place in 1909 under the beautiful name "Pearl of the Palatinate".
Here's a hot tip for anyone who's never been to a wine parade:
Hang a nice wine glass around your neck so you always have it handy when the new wines are generously poured from the floats! We've seen many wildly ingenious homemade and crocheted attachment systems.
The volunteer association "Jungwinzer Weyher" (Young Winemakers of Weyher), where Jürgen Graf was chairman for a long time, also participates with an individually decorated float, as do many regional wine queens. So it's worth it, because tradition and love for the winemaking craft speak from every detail.
Speaking of Thanksgiving... was our 2025 wine harvest actually good?
Yes! We are very excited and grateful. Those who have been reading our newsletters for a while know that the harvest usually begins almost exactly 100 days after flowering. That has always been the case; exceptions are really rare. This year, however, it was! The 100-day deadline would have been around September 10, but due to perfectly placed rain in July and plenty of sun power in August, the grapes ripened super fast and were ready for takeoff a full two weeks earlier.
So, in a rush, we threw ourselves headfirst into the grape harvest. Our harvest began on August 25 – and by September 20, 2025, the whole magic was already over. Due to rain and waiting times at the press, we harvested the entire crop (around 120,000 kg of grapes) within just 19 effective harvesting days. This was only possible through the use of the most modern harvesting machines, which gently detach the grapes via vibration, perform a pre-selection in the same working step, and then transport them undamaged to the winery.
There was only one drawback: This year, due to the poor fruit set and the change in weather at the beginning of September, we had an average of about 25 to 30% less yield. Sauvignon Blanc was particularly affected; here we lost almost 50%. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, however, held their own. This year, we once again clearly saw which grape varieties are climate-resistant and can adapt more easily. A prime example that should always be mentioned here is:
But now it's done! All the wines are safely slumbering in our cellar, and a wonderful aroma wafts through the vaults. Our connoisseur's nose already tells us today that the 2025 vintage will be very aromatic and robust. We can hardly wait to try the first sips. But that will take a few more weeks... first, the alcoholic fermentation must be cleanly completed.
In the meantime, our wine tavern is still bustling – and only until October 19, 2025. Then the season ends, and we return to normal wine sales opening hours.
Our tip for the coming weeks: Book your wine tastings with everyone – family, friends, colleagues, and companies – always in advance, so we can truly dedicate enough time to you!
We look forward to seeing you in Weyher!
Your slightly exhausted but grateful Grafs
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