Roman Roth
The talent behind the critically acclaimed Wölffer Estate wines belongs to a gifted German winemaker, Roman Roth, whose training and experience are a blend of several wine cultures on three continents.
With experience that began at age 16 with a three-year apprenticeship at the Kaiserstuhl Wine Cooperative in Oberrotweil and spanned work in California and Australia, Roth joined the the start-up Sagpond Vineyards in Sagaponack, New York in 1992. Roth found 28 acres of vineyards and rudimentary winemaking facilities. Over the next several years, Roth managed the cultivation and expansion of the vineyards, which today number 50 acres, and the vinification, ultimately producing wines that embody the essence of the Hamptons appellation—ripe fruit and natural acidity born of a unique terroir, a lush combination of soil, sun, moisture and the ever-present maritime breezes from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Roth’s contribution to quality winemaking on Long Island was recognized at the April 2003 East End Food & Wine Awards (judged by the American Sommelier Society), where he was named “Winemaker of the Year.” Roth, who occasionally sings for guests at the winery, is rarely very far from the vineyard, now known as Wölffer Estate Vineyard. Indeed, he lives with his wife, Dushy, a physician from Australia, and daughter Indira in nearby Sag Harbor.