For more than 400 years, the Pfeiffer family has been in the wine trade in Germany’s idyllic Mosel valley. Ewald Pfeiffer has run the business for over 50 years, taking over when he was just 25 years old. In all that time, his focus has been on producing Mosel Riesling and supplying the best in German viniculture to overseas markets.
As a long-standing supplier to Morrisons, Ewald has sourced some of the finest German wines to appear in-store. Recently he sourced one of the wines for our The Best range, a Mosel Riesling. “This light-bodied white wine is bursting with crisp lemon and rose petal flavours,” says Morrisons wine expert Arabella Woodrow. “It’s a medium wine with a delicate, delicious flavour that delivers a wonderful lingering finish.
“It’s perfect with simply cooked, white fish – enhancing and complementing the flavours with its own delicate taste. And I’d recommend it as an aperitif because of its wonderful refreshing quality.”
Passionate about German wine
“I’ve known Ewald for many years,” says Arabella. “His love of wine from the Mosel region and his enthusiasm for German wine in general is infectious. He has a true passion for what he does, which is what makes him such an asset to the Morrisons wine collection. We know that when we ask him to source and supply a certain wine, he will find us the very best and won’t compromise on quality.
“To have suppliers like him – experts who believe so passionately in quality without compromise – helps us consistently offer wines to our customers that we know they will love.”
A river runs through it
The Pfeiffer family business is in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer – the fifth largest of Germany’s 13 wine-growing regions. Snaking through its centre is the Mosel River flowing northeast towards the Rhine. Together with two small tributaries, the Saar and the Ruwer, the Mosel is the lifeblood of the wine region.
The vineyards – fed by a unique mild but intensely sunny climate – rise sharply from the river banks and are some of the steepest in the world. This means that most of the harvesting and labour must be done by hand. When you taste the wine, you know it’s worth the effort.
Quality assured
“Because of his amazingly high personal standards, we know that any wine Ewald presents for consideration is going to be of the highest quality,” says Arabella. “He is an excellent, expert judge of the types of wines that excite our customers.
“I first met Ewald some 20 years ago. He’s a charming man, and is truly passionate about wine and about his beloved Mosel Riesling. We trust him explicitly to find and supply us with the best wines Germany has to offer – and he does just that, every time.”