Jan Philipp Bleeke
Mosel, Traben-Trabach, Germany
 

Jan-Philipp Bleeke came to the Mosel from East Westphalia, taking an unconventional route into winemaking through a series of unexpected detours before settling into the valley's steep, slate-lined slopes.
 

He works vineyards spread across Kröv, Traben-Trarbach, Burg, Noviand and Piesport, tucked into what locals call the Fünf-Finger-Tal, the "five-finger valley", a quiet side valley known for its hidden plots and dramatic views. Farming is organic and low intervention, with sheep grazing the vineyards to keep the ecosystem in balance.
 

In 2020 he founded the first wine CSA on the Mosel, based in Kröv, a model where members buy into the harvest each year and share in what the vintage brings. Costs are laid out openly at an annual members' meeting before each new season begins.
 

In the cellar the wines are fermented spontaneously and aged in old barrels with minimal sulphur, left to show the character of each site and each season rather than smoothed into a house style.