2Naturkinder 'Fledermaus' Weiss 2021

Press 4 Mix/White • May 2024 Direct Press Selection

Do you like bats? Then this is the wine for you. 20 cents of each bottle goes to fund research on bats in Bavaria, where Micheal Voelker and Melanie Drese make the 2Naturkinder (two children of nature) wines. The bats, in return for this financial support, help fertilize the vineyards with their guano. "The bat on the label is the grey long-eared bat which has become very rare in our area," says Michael. "It’s also incredibly cute and we want to help it stay around."

The wine is a blend of Müller-Thurgau and Sylvaner, no fining, no filitering, and of course, no sulfur added. Mineral and punchy with a touch of stone fruit, it's got a touch of funk and a backbone of ripping acid that makes it mouthwatering and refreshing. It's a perfect example of why the 2Naturkinder wines have become some of the most popular and accessible natural wines around. Naturally, the wine is called 'Fledermaus,' which means bat in German. 

Michael's father was also a seasoned, well-respected winemaker, and part of the region's quality control panel. As such he would not be the most likely person to embrace the type of winemaking his son and daughter-in-law have been making but he has come to fully support them. Michael and Melanie began just doing 2Naturkinder as a side project in 2014 to the family's more conventional production but now they have converted everything to the 2Naturkinder approach. Jonathan Kemp