Joschua Schmidt a.k.a. Josche, a physics student from Giessen, Hesse, have always wanted to own a meadow orchard, so-called Streuobstwiese. And, he purchased one nearly 5 years ago and started distilling his own apple brandy for his own personal use. But, since for the production of apple brandy you need apple juice pressed from ca. 200kg apples, there were always some apples left. So what to do with the apple juice that cannot be put through distillation? Obviously, Apfelwein! And, this is how the story of Josche’s Apfelwein began. Both, Josche’s Apfelbrand (German for apple brandy) and Josche’s Apfelwein are now commercially available in Gießen, Wetzlar and Linden.
Company: Kelterei Schmidt
Place of Origin: Gießen, Hesse, Germany
Apples: locally sourced apples from meadow orchards in the Gießen area
ABV: 5.6%
Package type: 330ml clear bottle with crown cork
Recommended type of glass: wine glass or Gerriptes
Bottle No: 1044
Appearance: pours a clear golden with no fizz and no carbonation. Body is medium.
Aroma/Nose: the nose is moderately strong with flavours of fresh yellow apples, quince, mirabelle plum, must, but also notes of whisky and oak with a hint of alcohol.
Taste: it starts dry with a low to medium acidity of lemon. On the mid-palate notes of yellow apples, musty notes with a light astringency. Finishes dry and quickly with notes of yellow apples and mirabelle plums.
Overall: a typical Apfelwein from Hesse is usually very tart and has no depth. One could even say that it’s dull. In terms of Josche’s Apfelwein, I would say that it’s something between typical Apfelwein and a high-class wine like those I’ve tried from Gutshof Kraatz. You can tell only by looking at the bottle and the number of produced bottles that Josche’s Apfelwein is an artisan product. It has beautiful and clear notes on the nose and on the palate, but the taste finishes quickly. Too quickly. Let me put it this way, if I had to choose between a regular Apfelwein and Josche’s Apfelwein, I would definitely go with Josche’s drop as it’s very drinkable, refreshing, pleasant, without any off-putting notes and very food friendly. But it can be better. 4/6
Availability: currently available in Gießen, Wetzlar and Linden. Also, online through Josche’s facebook page. Interestingly, you can pay with cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
Price: Josche’s Apfelwein was provided by Josche himself.
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