"The Future is East" - Björn Probst, winemaker at VDP. Weingut Schloß Proschwitz (Germany, Saxony)

Getting to Saxony took three attempts. The harvest kept intervening. When Jan Eggers finally arrived at VDP. Weingut Schloß Proschwitz, head winemaker Björn Probst was in the middle of picking — and still made time to talk. Proschwitz is one of eastern Germany’s landmark estates: 75 hectares, just completed organic certification, and home to one of the world’s last significant plantings of Goldriesling — a variety that barely exists outside Saxony.In this conversation, Björn talks about the tasting that shaped his winemaking — a bottle from Domaine Zind-Humbrecht that made him understand what wine could be. He talks about five consecutive summers with almost no rain, the challenge of irrigating young vines while refusing to compromise on organic principles, and why he believes the wine world will eventually catch up with what eastern Germany has been doing quietly for decades. Recorded in the vineyard above the Elbe River, mid-harvest, with a glass of Goldriesling on the table. Learn more about the Cool Climate Wine Summitat www.coolclimatesummit.com