Julien Renard

Julien Renard is the son of a French-German couple and grew up in northwestern Germany, a region better known for beer than for wine. After working in the theater world for ten years, he decided to change course and follow his passion: becoming a winemaker. He was educated at Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein and then worked with Matthias Knebel for a short time. He then joined Weingut Fred Knebel in Winningen, where he collaborated with brothers Alex and Chris Knebel.

In addition to his day job, he took over small vineyard in 2017 and rented garages and cellars in the village to make his own wines. He works according to organic principles as much as possible and opts for minimal intervention in the cellar: interfering as little as possible, with the sole exception of a small addition of sulfur just before bottling. The 2018 harvest was his first vintage.

During one of our wine tours, we instantly noticed a bottle featuring the now-iconic label of a stained-glass window depicting a fox—a nod to his last name, Renard. In November 2018, we met Julien during a tasting. The 2024 vintage, which we’ll be able to offer starting in September 2026, is already the sixth vintage we’ve carried in the Netherlands.

As far as we’re concerned, Julien plays in the Champions League of German winemaking. He is a charming, unconventional, and uncompromising personality: a maverick who does everything he can to get the most out of his grapes. Although he himself isn’t a fan of the term “natural wine,” we believe his wines undoubtedly rank among the absolute best in that segment.

With about 2 hectares of vineyards, Julien is a small-scale producer. Approximately 80% is planted with Riesling and 20% with Müller-Thurgau. The steep slopes and numerous terraces make mechanization virtually impossible; all work is done by hand. No tractors, no horses, and no herbicides. The vineyards are managed organically as much as possible.

All grapes are pressed in a small basket press. Depending on the vintage and the plot, Julien works with whole clusters or crushed grapes. He rarely uses skin contact. For the Müller-Thurgau, he deliberately chooses a different approach than for his Rieslings and does not allow the must to settle before spontaneous fermentation. He does not use batonnage. Sulfur is added—only when necessary—exclusively just before bottling; the final levels are transparently listed on the label. The wines age for at least ten to twelve months, while the top cuvées spend at least seventeen months in wooden barrels.

The new 2024 vintage was a challenging one. Frost in April caused significant grape loss in the Mosel region. With the help of grapes purchased from fellow winemakers—including Chris Barth from Rheinhessen—Julien has once again crafted an incredible collection.

Please call or send a WhatsApp message for current availability. Due to the very limited production, we unfortunately cannot fulfill all orders. Although we have set aside a few older vintages, availability is extremely limited.