Fio

Fio represents a stylistically diverse and often openly experimental range of wines rendered by Philipp Kettern (of Weingut Lothar Kettern, covered separately in the present report) in collaboration with Dirk and (son) Daniel Niepoort. After having done a stage at Weingut Fritz Haag (just as Dirk Niepoort did in his youth), Kettern benefited from an extensive internship in the Douro, and there the bond with the Niepoorts and the plans for Fio were formed. Actual Fio collaboration commenced in 2011 and was officially registered in 2016 as “Fio Weinmanufaktur.” Some of the fruit for this project is purchased, but many wines come from Kettern’s own holdings around Piesport. In particular, small lots of dry Riesling from his estate that Kettern subjects to extended élevage are among the many wines released under the Fio label. Kettern hopes to thereby avoid confusing his customers with potentially eponymous but stylistically diverse wines, though arguably this courts different sorts of confusion not just between estate and non-estate sources but also between wines that I (and Kettern as well) would characterize as modeled on classic pre-1970s Mosel Riesling and colorfully labeled, unapologetically experimental bottlings that sometimes drift into the realm of whimsy. Kettern is also using Fio as an opportunity to showcase his fruit from the Piesporter Falkenberg, while he focuses his estate label on Goldtröpfchen (and to a lesser extent Gunterslay). And, importantly, a Fio bottling (Socalos, whose 2018 vintage is reviewed below) showcases the potential of an obscure site in Leiwen, one of those “places where even in a hot year like 2018 we will be able to produce dry wines of just 10.5 or 11 alcohol,” explained Kettern, who together with the Niepoorts has made a major investment in the Leiwener Josefsberg’s cool, high-elevation terraces.
Daniel Niepoort is steadily involved on-site, and, like Kettern, tasted the wines along with me on the eve of the 2019 harvest. Scarcely any of them were not worth experiencing; many are delightfully delicious, and the best of them are profoundly lovely. The common denominators are distinctiveness and relative alcoholic levity. Riesling grapes are crushed but then pressed without any significant skin contact, out of conviction that this is inimical to the clarity for which the Fio team (successfully) strives. Incidentally, such liberty is taken with label design (including lines of text often at right angles to one another or upside-down) that it’s not always easy to recognize – let alone accurately and unambiguously specify – the name of any given wine. But I did my best to match descriptions to those employed in marketing Fio while also alerting readers to any seemingly significant label details.

From Generosity and Diversity - Mosel 2018: Graach to Grünhaus (Nov 2020) by David Schildknecht

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NV Piu Piu F 18-5

Release Price: $29

Color: Sparkling White

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer vitae aliquam odio. Aliquam purus diam, tempor et consectetur vitae, eleifend ac quam. Proin nec mauris ac odio iaculis semper. Integer posuere pharetra aliquet. Nullam tincidunt sagittis est in maximus. Donec sem orci, vulputate ac quam non, consectetur fermentum diam. In dignissim magna id orci dignissim convallis. Integer sit amet placerat dui. Aliquam pharetra ornare nulla at vulputate. Sed dictum, mi eget fringilla lacinia, nisl tortor condimentum mi, vitae ultrices quam diam ac neque. Donec hendrerit vulputate felis, fringilla varius massa.

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NV Piu Piu F 19-3

Release Price: $29

Color: Sparkling Rosé

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2018 Riesling Fabelhaft

Release Price: $21

Color: White

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2018 Riesling Socalcos trocken

Release Price: $30

Color: White

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2017 Riesling Cabi sehr nett

Release Price: $49

Color: White

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2016 Riesling Cabi sehr nett

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Color: White

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2015 Riesling Fio trocken

Release Price: $75

Color: White

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2014 Riesling Fio trocken

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Color: White

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2013 Riesling Piesporter Goldtröpfchen trocken

Release Price: $110

Color: White

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