Central Winery of the Baden Winegrowers’ Cooperatives – Affentaler Pinot Noir Baden-Ortenau 1968

Central Winery of the Baden Winegrowers’ Cooperatives – Affentaler Pinot Noir Baden-Ortenau 1968

1. The Central Winery of the Baden Winegrowers’ Cooperatives

The Central Winery ofthe Baden Winegrowers’ Cooperatives (ZBW) is the historical predecessor of today’s Badischer Winzerkeller eG, based in Breisach am Rhein. It was formed through the merger of winegrowers’ co-operatives in Baden, in order to pool their resources and enable the marketing of wines across regional boundaries .

Foundation and development:

• 1952: On 3 March 1952, the Zentralkellerei Kaiserstühler Winzergenossenschaften eGmbH was founded as the first joint winery of Baden winegrowers’ cooperatives.

• 1954: On 26 April 1954, the district winery was transformed into a regional headquarters for the entire Baden wine-growing region and was henceforth known as the Zentralkellerei Badischer Winzergenossenschaften.

• 1968: In this year, the Weinwerbezentrale badischer Winzergenossenschaften GmbH was established in Karlsruhe – a step that further advanced centralised organisation and marketing.

• 1988: The company was renamed Badische Winzerkeller eG on 7 December 1988.

The ZBW was significantly shapedby Emil Klaus, who was one of its co-founders in 1952 and led the company as managing director until 1972. The central winery developed into Germany’s largest wine-producing winery.

2. The Affentaler Pinot Noir

Affentaler Winzer eG, based in Bühl (Ortenau), is one of Germany’s most traditional winegrowers’ cooperatives. Its roots date back to 1908, when 24 winegrowers founded the Affental Natural Winegrowing Association.

The ‘Affentaler’ brand:

The cooperative’s best-known wine brand is Affentaler, bottled in the distinctive ‘monkey bottle’ – a bottle featuring a gold or copper-coloured monkey relief. This bottle is renowned far beyond Germany’s borders and is highly regarded both nationally and internationally.

Pinot Noir:

• The Pinot Noir grape variety has a long tradition in the region: as early as 1250, Cistercian nuns from Lichtenthal Abbey planted Pinot Noir vines in the Affental valley.

• Affental Pinot Noir is traditionally produced as both red wine and rosé. In earlier years, the Pinot Noir variant known asBlauer Arbst was used for this purpose .

• It is characterised by a dark red colour, ripe aromas of cherries and wild berries, and a powerful yet harmonious body.

3. The 1968 vintage

The 1968 Affentaler Spätburgunder Baden-Ortenau is a particularly fine example of this time-honoured brand:

• The wine was bottledin the characteristic ‘Affenflasche’ (monkey bottle) and is now a sought-after rarity.

• On the collectors’ market, the bottle is tradedas a vintage and a rarity. Offers can be found, for example, on platforms for rare wines such as.

• The 1968 vintage falls within a period of upheaval and consolidation in Baden’s wine-growing industry: Just a few years earlier (1964), the winegrowers’ cooperatives had decided to meet additional space requirements centrally, and in 1968, the establishment of the Weinwerbezentrale marked another milestone in the organisation of marketing.

4. Assessment and Conclusion

The 1968 Affentaler Pinot Noir is more than just an old vintage wine – it is a testament to the history of viticulture in Baden. It was produced during an era in which the Central Winery of the Baden Winegrowers’ Cooperatives expanded its structures and professionalised the marketing of Baden wines. At the same time, it embodies the unbroken tradition of the Affentaler winegrowers, whose brand, featuring the ‘monkey bottle’, remains world-renowned to this day.

For collectors and connoisseurs of old wines, the 1968 bottle is a coveted item – not only because of its contents, but also because of its distinctive design and its historical significance.