Despite Sven Leiner's progressive style both philosophically and spiritually in both wines and life, his work doesn't fall into the "new generation" of the German wine renaissance. He started in the year 2000 with his father, who primarily sold grapes, although Weingut Leiner is situated in a high-level terroir in Ibelsheim in the Southern Pfalz, in the highest altitude area of the region, on a limestone bed.
The journey wasn't easy, but Sven early on felt that transitioning the vineyards to organic and then to biodynamic was the right thing to do, making the life of the soil one of his great passions. The soil is a living organism that must be revitalized and nourished with the application of biodynamic compounds and infusions. He is undoubtedly an attentive and talented viticulturist, dedicated to the care of the vineyards and soil.
The wines from Kalk come from the Kalmit mountain, the highest elevation (220m) in the Rhine River Valley. It is composed of limestone with deposits containing fossilized shell fragments, and the soil is 27 million years old. On the highest part of the slope with a south-facing exposure lies the Grosse Lage parcel, Kapelle.
In the cellar, Sven allows malolactic fermentation and is a fan of slow fermentations that continue until the following summer after harvest. He believes that this results in wines with greater texture and breadth on the palate. He uses a combination of cement, stainless steel tanks, and "Fuders."
