Soma Vines | Rheinhessen, Germany

Antoine Lucchesi and Daisy Merrick

Soma Vines is Daisy Merrick and Antoine Lucchesi, who came at wine from opposite directions and met in the middle. Daisy is from Norwich and arrived through hospitality, then importing and distribution. Antoine is from Marseille and arrived through oenology school in Alsace and cellar work on both sides of the border, including Sekthaus Griesel in Germany and Domaine Brand in France. They began working together in 2020.

Antoine also spent time working for Andi Mann at Eckelsheim, which is a good part of why Soma ended up where it did. Since 2023 the pair have had four rented hectares of their own in and around the same village, a few fields from where he used to work. The plantings run wide: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Bacchus, Riesling, Silvaner, Dornfelder and Frühburgunder. What they do not grow themselves they buy from organic and biodynamic growers.

In the cellar the approach is to stay out of the way. Native yeasts, no fining, no filtration and no sulphur added at any stage. The wines come out bright and unguarded, from skin contact that stays light on its feet to reds with barely any tannin in them at all. The name of one of them, Still Crossing Borders, is a fair summary of the whole project.