women4beverages: Julia and Marie Wasem from the start-up winery Wasem Doppelstück

Sister economy on the organic winery

Viticulture and management cleverly divided

It's spring, the weather has changed, it's supposed to stay dry. Julia Wasem comes straight from the vineyard. She has been working on the vines since four o'clock in the morning. This has priority, nature doesn't wait.  The 24-year-old is the field manager of the Wasem Doppelstück winery in Ingelheim. Her sister Marie Wasem manages the events and runs the business, which includes the 22-hectare vineyard, a vinotheque, a wine hotel and an event program. Together with their parents Ilona and Burkhard Wasem, the two founded the winery in 2019. Two sisters, two generations: a double play squared!

A winery as a start-up

"We started small and surprisingly," says Marie Wasem. After studying business administration, the 28-year-old actually wanted to start a career in controlling and human resources at larger companies. Julia had also originally set her sights on a different career, until life played out differently. Admittedly, the viticulture thing is not so far-fetched. When you grow up in Ingelheim am Rhein, it's in your DNA: mother Ilona Wasem originally trained as a winemaker. Her father, Burkhard Wasem, was the field manager at another winery for many years. "I helped with the harvest there for the very first time in the fall," says Julia Wasem, "I found it very exciting and impressive." She then completed an internship in a wine laboratory and another in the wine awarding department, where wines are tested, evaluated and described from a sensory perspective, and gradually got to know the industry.

Finally, she gained an insight into a long-standing organic winery. "That inspired me to set up something like that myself and produce my own wines accordingly," says Julia Wasem. Pretty self-confident! She loves her job: "You see the vine growing up from the young field to the old vineyard and all the work you put into it," she says, "I think it's great that after a year of hard work you have a product that you have created one hundred percent yourself." Her sister also quickly became enthusiastic about the start-up. Marie Wasem: "I am very ambitious. I love the responsibility and the risk of creating something of my own. That's what drives me every day." The wine hotel, which mother Ilona Wasem has been running since 2002, has fitted seamlessly into the new business.

Riesling and Burgundy

Doppelstück focuses on Riesling and Burgundy wines from different sites in two locations. The Ingelheim vineyards are generally warmer. The red wines and Pinot Gris come from here. The Elsheim sites are characterized by special soils. The wines from there are more mineral. "You don't have to do everything that's trendy at the moment," says Marie, alluding to wild wines, "it's more important to us that we create wines that bring what we want to show with our craft into the glass." In addition to the cultivation, Julia is also responsible for the cellar work - supported by her father, who contributes "the necessary experience and finesse". She emphasizes: "We like it subtle and straightforward with elegant acidity. You can create incredibly beautiful wines with acidity in particular." During the final tasting before bottling, all employees are allowed to taste the wine. Marie's word counts just as much as that of cellar master Julia. This is because the managing director works close to the customer in sales and with her tastings and knows what can and cannot be presented in the Doppelstück range. The Doppelstück wines are mainly sold in the wine hotel. Up to 80,000 bottles are sold there every year.

With their winery, Julia and Marie Wasem join the promising generation of young female winemakers. Although women are still in the minority in the industry - Marie Wasem estimates their share of self-employed winegrowers at 15 to 20 percent - one thing is clear: "There has been a major rethink in recent years," says Julia Wasem. While many wineries used to operate mainly under the name of the father and with the addition "and sons", there are more and more women making wine, including in the business succession. For example, the organic winery of pioneer Eva Vollmer is only fifteen minutes away from Ingelheim.

With their sister winery, the Wasems are filling a gap in the market. "90 percent of our customers and guests at the hotel are women," says Marie. It is mainly small groups of around ten people who check in here, for example to celebrate the end of their "bachelorette existence". The event program is made for this occasion: yoga, lettering, macramé - and all accompanied by wine. The idea was born out of the lockdown crisis. When the regulations only allowed small group meetings, the Wasems adapted their event program accordingly. "Sometimes a group of men gets lost here," Marie notes.

A feminine working environment

Interestingly, the female character is also reflected in the employees. "We have a high proportion of female applicants," says Marie. A female-dominated environment is more attractive to many women because they don't have to feel like they're being put in a corner with the motto: "Well, you're going to drop out sooner or later anyway because of motherhood." Marie Wasem emphasizes: "Everyone can develop with us." It is more cordial and sensitive than in male-run companies. "It's important to me that everyone is happy. Because the success of our business stands and falls with the team," she says. So she makes sure that the environment and interaction are right. "This is our baby, it's up to us how we shape it," says Marie Wasem, "and at the same time we don't have a choice, because we can't just change after a while because the balance isn't right."

And so, after the beginnings with the establishment of the estate and the business premises, the aim is now to bring structure to the 30-strong team, implement an efficient workflow and gradually expand sales to major customers. - Let's hope so! Then we can also enjoy the good wines from Wasem Doppelstück nationwide. Good luck!