Dotting Helmut’s vines is an orchard of majestic apple trees, aged 80-100 years old. They belong to the variety known as Kardinal Bea — a medium to large apple with juicy, sweet-tart skin and low sugar content (named in honor of Cardinal Augustin Bea, a German-Jesuit priest who promotes Catholic-Jewish dialogue in the 60s). Every fall, Helmut harvests the fruit by hand and lets the apples ferment before they undergo a secondary fermentation méthode champenoise. They spend two years on the lees before disgorgement, resulting in an exuberant apple fizz that sings for years on end.
