Keuper is a sedimentary rock consisting of clays interspersed with fine and thicker gypsum veins emerging about 235-231 million years ago. At that time, the Triassic Sea in the Germanic Basin retreated and silted up. Brackish water areas and shallow inland waters formed extensive river systems and alluvial zones. The high CO2 content of the air led to a rich flora and fauna in which dinosaurs roamed. In the dry, warm climate, extensive clay and evaporite pans developed in the interplay between water and desert. Sulphate minerals, the later gypsum, were deposited by circulating supersaturated saltwater on layered surfaces and in cracks in the mudstones. The alternating sequence of coloured clay and sulphate rocks, formed over millions of years, solidified under the pressure of overlying rocks.
Keuper wines have power and a full body like the rich marshlands in which the rock was formed. The older the vines, the better you can taste this so-called “terroir”: subtle fruity notes, a spicy, herbal aroma and a full, intensive, mineral taste lasting for a long time.