Hermann J Weimer

Co-owners Fred Merwarth & Oskar Bynke of Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, and Annemarie Morse of Wine by Annemarie joined founder of A Life Well Drunk, John Sporing for a conversation about Hermann Wiemer wines. The virtual tasting took place October 29, 2020.

Did you miss the live tasting? No worries, watch it here:

In the October 29 tasting we sipped and discussed three of their wines:

2017 Riesling HJW Bio

NV Field White

2018 Cabernet Franc Magdalena

Meet the Maker

Fred Merwarth & Oskar Bynke are co-owners of Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard. Since 2007, Fred, as Head Winemaker & Vineyard Manager, and Oskar, as Estate & Business Manager have succeeded in placing Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard in particular, and the Finger Lakes region in general, on the global Riesling map.

Fred Merwarth

Fred studied Agricultural Business at Cornell University, and after graduating began an internship at HJW in 2001. Under the watchful eye of Hermann, he learned how to become a key decision-maker in every aspect of the winery, vineyard, and nursery and was primed to take over production operations.

Oskar Bynke

Oskar Bynke hails from Gothenburg, Sweden. He holds a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics and studied at Cornell University. Before joining his university friend, Fred, at Wiemer, Oskar worked in the wine business with distributors Diageo and Moet & Hennessy in New York City.

Founded in 1979, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard is a pioneer of viticulture and winemaking in the Finger Lakes. The estate spans 90-acres of prime vineyard sites on the western slopes of Seneca Lake and the wines are among the most acclaimed in the region. With a commitment to viticulture thought leadership and experimentation Wiemer is widely considered to be the standard-bearer at the helm of the Finger Lakes revolution.