Nature's Calling Winery: A call from the vine

*Photo: Louisa Müller, Sven Grolik, Nicolas Wenz (from left to right) / Daniel Lamando*

In Reinickendorf, a late 19th-century building with high ceilings, industrial bones and sunlight flickering through its tall windows houses a new urban winery – one that is quietly, yet confidently, carving out an important space in Berlin’s burgeoning natural wine world. The trio behind the it share regional roots, a drive for transparency in winemaking and a desire to bring the rural rhythms of their upbringing into the heart of the Hauptstadt.

Louisa Müller, Nicolas Wenz and Sven Grolik all grew up in wine country: Franken, die Pfalz and Hessen, respectively. They met in Berlin, each bringing a distinct skillset, from bar ownership and interior design to sustainability consulting and high-end kitchens. Müller also attended wine school in Koblenz.

Their practices reflect that ethos: no chemicals in the vineyard, healthy soil over high yields and reusable carafes in the winery.

For them, natural wine is not a trend, but a mindset. “Anyone can call their wine natural; it’s not a protected term,” Müller explains. “But for us, it means working aligned with nature, not against it.” She points to a jarring fact: despite their relatively small footprint, vineyards are habitually treated with disproportionately high amounts of chemicals. Indeed, in renowned wine-making countries like France, vineyards cover approximately 3% of agricultural land but account for 20% of the country’s pesticide usage. “It’s devastating and unnecessary,” she adds. Their practices reflect that ethos: no chemicals in the vineyard, healthy soil over high yields and reusable carafes in the winery.

Their early wines came out of cellars and small-scale facilities across Germany. That changed in August 2024, when they finally found the right space in Reinickendorf. Fortunately, the building was already constructed for alcohol production; the historic place once housed the former Ostdeutsche Spritfabrik GmbH and the Monopolverwaltung für Branntwein, respectively responsible for refining and administering alcohol. “We were lucky,” Müller acknowledges. “It’s a Denkmal-protected building, so we couldn’t change much, but we didn’t have to.”

The area’s charm is apparent. The complex includes other creative spaces and is full of individuals practising crafts like sculpting and glass blowing. Locals who’ve lived nearby for decades now wander in, curious about what’s happening behind the old factory walls and keen to try a glass or two. With the winery now open to the public once a week as a bar and laid-back hangout, Nature’s Calling is quickly becoming a neighbourhood fixture.

Still, getting it all off the ground wasn’t simple. They moved in just before the harvest of last year and raced to get things running. In doing so, they adapted their process: instead of just receiving finished bottles, they also began bringing fresh grapes to Berlin.

In August of this year, the Nature’s Calling team bottled their first Berlin-made wines: 6,000 bottles, all produced on-site at their Reinickendorf facility. They used grapes harvested at night from Hannes Bergdoll’s vineyard in Pfalz, near the French border. Here, varieties like Riesling and Spätburgunder thrive without synthetic intervention.

With just 12 barrels on-site, production remains small by design. “It gives us the freedom to experiment and figure out our direction long-term,” Müller explains. Each bottle is a team effort: debated, blended and adjusted based on what the harvest provides.

They often work with up to 15 grape varieties, including Kerner and Chardonnay. If yields are low for one variety, they pivot. In Berlin, they ferment in aged oak barrels for depth; in Pfalz, they continue using tanks for a crisper style.

The wines are fresh and fruit-driven: pét-nats, whites and rosés with clean finishes and easy drinkability. They’re also guided by the environment: delicate grapes like muscat are less ideal in wetter years. The wine brand embraces variability, alongside trial and error, with no two vintages being quite the same.

When it comes to the Berlin releases, the team is particularly gleeful about the Gewürztraminer. They agree their Chardonnay, humorously dubbed Don Ray Chay and the resident troublemaker of the vintage, is also full of personality.

There was a time when wine was all about prestige, difficult labels and needing to be educated to even approach a bottle. We didn’t want that.

They’ve also developed an alcohol-free line: fermented blends with ingredients like roasted buckwheat, quince, apples and water kefir, with fruit sourced from a meadow in Kneese, located around two hours north of Berlin. “We also don’t want to drink alcohol all the time,” Müller confesses. “And it’s hard to find good alternatives. Nicolas has been playing with kombuchas and ferments for close to 15 years.”

Branding, too, walks the line between playful and purposeful. “There was a time when wine was all about prestige, difficult labels and needing to be educated to even approach a bottle. We didn’t want that.” Müller says. The name hints at both the connection to the land and a not-so-subtle bathroom joke. The label even includes a phone number you can call for your very own dose of nature: the press of one button will play a German winemaker’s musings, or another the sound of the wind, buzzing bees and a soft voice whispering “nature’s calling”.

Now, more than five years into Nature’s Calling and a year after settling into their Reinickendorf home, they’re welcoming visitors every Saturday. Guests can sip a glass, join a tasting and explore the historic space. With community dinners and sound system sessions, they’re keeping things loose and low-intervention. And if you feel nature calling… you know where to go.